












ARTHUR PROBSTHAIN 
Oriental Bookseller 
41 Qt. Russell Street 
LONDON, W.C. 1 



































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RECOLLECTIONS 


OF FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE 
IN THE EAST 

WITH H. M. FORTIETH REGIMENT: 

COMPRISING AN ACCOUNT OF THE TAKING OF KURACHEE IN LOWER 
SCINDE, IN 1839 j OPERATIONS IN UPPER SCINDE IN 1840 AND 1841 ; 

AND THE OPERATIONS OF THE CANDAHAR DIVISION OF 
“ THE AVENGING ARMY OF AFFGHANISTAN ” 

IN 1841 AND 1842 ; 

UNDER MAJOR-GENERAL SIR W. NOTT, G.C.B. 

' ,,V A 

By J. MARTIN BLADEN NEILL, 

CAPTAIN IN THE FORTIETH REGIMENT. 


SECOND EDITION. 



LONDON: 

RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 

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1846. 

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LONDON ; 

Printed by S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley, 
Bangor House, Shoe Lane. 


£ h W 


r4 


TO 

LIEUT.-COLONEL HIBBERT, C.B., 40th REGIMENT. 
My dear Colonel, 

I know no one to whom I can more appro¬ 
priately inscribe the‘following pages than to the 
Officer who, with but one short interruption, com¬ 
manded the 40th Regiment during the period of 
which I attempt to treat, and who held the proud 
position of being its leader, when to its other 
glorious achievements were added “ Candahar”— 
“ Ghuznee”—“ Cabul,”—1842. 

I beg you will accept the dedication of this 
Narrative to you as a slight acknowledgment of 
the numerous kindnesses I have received at your 
hands during the many years we have served 
together, and as a grateful recollection of the faci¬ 
lities afforded me by these kindnesses in the per¬ 
formance of my duties as Adjutant in the field, 
during an eventful period, and under circumstances 
of no ordinary difficulty. 

I am, 

My dear Colonel, 

Yours most sincerely and faithfully, 

J. Martin Bladen Neill. 


Army and Navy Club, St. James’s Square, 
June 2nd, 1845. 








PREFACE. 


The following pages would perhaps be more 
appropriately entitled 44 Random Recollections”—of 
Associations connected with the great and eventful 
Military Operations, in which the writer had the 
peculiar good fortune to participate. 

Upwards of two years have now elapsed since 
General Nott made his glorious and successful 
advance from Candaliar; and it is with a regret akin 
to shame that the writer finds, that among the 
many officers in the Candaliar army, no one, not 
even from the General’s Staff, has been found to 
come forward and give a Military account of the 
Administration of Affairs in western Affghanistan in 
1841 and 1842, by one of the most distinguished 
men whose deeds have for years shed a lustre over 
our actions in the East. 

The Author is keenly alive to his own inability 
to do justice to the reputation of his General, and 
he hopes that the very imperfect and inadequate 
attempt which he makes to depict events connected 
with the name of 44 Nott,” may be the means of 







PREFACE. 


• < • 

VI11 

rousing from lethargy some one of higher talent 
and more extensive information, who will, in doing 
justice to the “ illustrious dead,” confer a benefit on 
the public, by giving a faithful and detailed account 
of the actions of the Candahar Army and its dis¬ 
tinguished leader. 

Should such a result be effected, the Author will 
feel that although his labours have been but slight 
they will not have been in vain. 

During the period of which he attempts to treat, 
the Author kept a journal, in which he carefully 
recorded, as they occurred, all incidents worthy of 
note. This journal was carried off with his baggage 
by the enemy in the Khyber Pass, when the cam¬ 
paign in A ffghanistan might almost be said to have 
closed ; and he was thus deprived of the best means 
of refreshing his memory. Finding, however, on 
his return home, that many of his letters written 
in India and Affghanistan had been preserved, he 
amused himself by devoting his leisure hours to the 
compilation of the following narrative, the perusal of 
those letters having suggested the possibility of his 
not altogether failing in an attempt at authorship. 

While engaged in his work, he was fortunate 
enough to supply some of the deficiencies in his 
letters, from a journal of events connected with the 
advance of the army from Candahar, by his friend 
Lieutenant Carey, 40th; and since the work has 
gone to press, he has been enabled to make some 
slight alterations, at the suggestion of his old 





















PREFACE. 


IX 


friend and comrade Lieutenant Alex. Nelson,— 
an officer who performed the duties of Sub-assistant 
Commissary-general to the Bombay Troops in the 
Candahar Army, during the most stirring and 
arduous period embraced in the Author’s narrative, 
with a zeal and ability which contributed much 
to the comfort and efficiency of the troops, and 
secured for him the marked approval of his 
General. 

The Author is at a loss to express the sense he 
entertains of the obligation conferred upon him by 
Mr. Thomas Brigstocke, in permitting an engraving 
for his book to be taken from this distinguished 
artist’s admirable portrait of General Nott, now 
exhibiting in the Royal Academy. He is fully 
alive to the extent of the kindness of that per¬ 
mission, and feels assured that the value of his 
work is much enhanced by the circumstance that, 
embodied with it is the portrait of the gallant 
and lamented Commander of “The Veterans of 
Candahar.” 

The writer is aware that he has entered on 
ground which has been frequently and well de¬ 
scribed. Should he in any part of his narrative 
echo sentiments which have already appeared be¬ 
fore the public, he is entirely unconscious of the 
plagiarism, and in such case he trusts that some 
satisfaction may be derived by his predecessors 
from the fact, that they are not singular in their 
views and opinions. 






X 


PREFACE. 


The Author is vain enough to hope that, not¬ 
withstanding the many faults, imperfections, and 
perhaps puerilities, which may be found to abound 
in his work, it will not prove altogether uninter¬ 
esting to the general reader; he will, therefore, 
make no apology for intruding it on the public, but 
would crave leave to remark, that in the hurry 
and bustle of active military service, a soldier can 
spare but little time from the performance of his 
duties for collecting information unconnected with 
them, and that consequently— 

“ In vain sedate reflections he would make, 

When half his knowledge he must snatch—-not take.” 


June 2nd , 1845. 





























CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Order to March.— Consequent Joy and Excitement.— 
Unnecessary Accumulation of Baggage.— Regrets at De¬ 
parture.— Present System of Officers purchasing Houses : 
Expense and Inconvenience caused to Officers thereby.— 
Hospitalities at Deesa.— March from Deesa.—Visit of 
Rajah of Rahdunpoor. — His Palace.—Famine in Cutch. 

— Exorbitant Charges for Camels, &c.— Run of Cutch.— 
Mirage.—Anticipation of Active Employment at Kura- 
chee.—Hood Conduct of the 40 th Regiment. ... 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Arrival at Mandavie.—H. M. S. Wellesley.—Artillery and 
Sepoys awaiting us.—Ordered to proceed on board Flag¬ 
ship.—Embarkation.—Reception from Officers of Welles¬ 
ley.—Anxiety on Account of Disappearance of Three 
Officers.—Sail for Kurachee.—Arrival there.—Anchor off 
Minhora—Capture of that Fort.—Surrender of Kurachee. 

—Bivouac at Minhora. . . . . . . .14 


CHAPTER III. 

Proceed to Kurachee.— Appearance of Kurachee.— De¬ 
scription of.— Force employed on Fatigue Duty.— Mug¬ 
ger Talloa. — The Plot Springs.— Departure of H. M. S. 

Wellesley-Severe Squalls at Kurachee. — Melancholy 

Event in Sir J. Keane's Army. . . . . .26 

CHAPTER IV. 

Brigadier Valiant proceeds to Tatta.— Decides on its 
unfitness for a Cantonment.—Camels carried off.—Cholera 
breaks out in Camp.—Its Ravages.—Murder of Captain 
Hand.— Cholera continues to rage. —Death of Colonel 
Powell and Lieutenant Magnay,—Night Attack. . .39 







CONTENTS. 


XI1 


CHAPTER V. 

PAGE 

Orders to hut the Men-—Difficulty in procuring Wood. 

—Officers determine generally on living in Tents.—Dust 
Storms in Scinde.—Sickness of the Troops.—Rumours of 
War.— Excessive Heat in May.—Death of Mr. Irwin.— 
Departure of Brigadier Valiant.—Setting in of the Mon¬ 
soon.—Bad Construction of Pendalls.—Cause of Sickness.— 
Execution of Chaka Kalifa. — Storm and Capture of Ghuz- 
nee.—Sickness at Tatta. . ...... 48 


CHAPTER VI. 

Communication by Sea re-opened. — Capture of Khelat. 
—Cholera at Sukkur.—Arrival in Camp of Officers from 
the Advance. — Officers ordered off on Court-martial Duty 
to Sukkur.—Queen’s Royal Regiment arrive in Camp.— 
Relieved from Duties of Adjutant.—Arrival of Lord Keane. 
— Presents New Colours to 40th Regiment.—Departure of 
Lord Keane.—Arrival of H. M. 17th Regiment.—Depar¬ 
ture of Queen’s Royals.—Wreck of the Transport “ Han- 


CHAPTER VII. 

State of Upper Scinde and Affghanistan.—Destruction 
of Lieutenant Walpole Clarke’s Detachment..—Wing of 
the 40th detached to Upper Scinde. — Defeat of Major 
Clibborn at Nuffoosk.—Fall of Khelat.—Head-Quarters of 
the 40th ordered to Upper Scinde.—Difficulty of procuring 
Camels:—Limited Number allowed to Troops. — 40th and 
Artillery march for Sehwan.—Arrival of H. M. 41st at 
Kurachee. — Country between Kurachee and Sehwan. — 
Gorban Pass.—Misfortune to Cattle. . . . .68 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Sehwan.—Its Scenery, Position, and Principal Buildings. 
—The Castle of Sehwan.—Right Wing of 40th engaged at 
Ounda.—Dadur relieved by Major Boscawen.—Escape of 









CONTENTS. 


Xlli 


PAGE 

Nussur Khan.—Murder of Lieutenant Loveday.—Artillery 
and Heavy Baggage proceed by River to Larkhana. — 40th 
cross the Arul. —Country between Sehwan and Larkhana.— 
Arrival at Larkhana. — Description of Larkhana.— Lieu¬ 
tenant Sealy with Artillery rejoins Detachment.—March to 
Sukkur.—Arrival there.—Defeat of Dhost Mahommed. . 82 

CHAPTER IX. 

Sukkur.—Defeat of Nussur Khan by Colonel Marshall. 

—Clibborn Commission.—Rumours of Extended Operations. 

—March of Army under General Brooks from Sukkur.— 
Shikarpoor.—Hawking.—II. M. 41st and Artillery directed 
to return to Sukkur.— Desert March.— Attempt at Hog 
Hunting.—Right Wing of H. M. 40th rejoins Head-Quar¬ 
ters.—'The Scinde Boil. . . . . . . .93 

CHAPTER X. 

Force under Colonel Wilson proceeds to Kujjuk.—Defeat 
of our Troops.—General Brooks proceeds with Reinforce¬ 
ments to the Scene of Disaster.—Enemy evacuate Kujjuk. 

—Storm.—Night March.—Description of Kujjuk. . .105 

CHAPTER XI. 

Detachment occupies Kujjuk.—Death of Colonel Wilson. 

— Sale of Prize Property at Kujjuk.—Destruction of Kujjuk. 

— Musket and Bayonet. — March for Dadur.—Dadur.— 

Bolan Pass. . . . . . . . . .113 

CHAPTER XII. 

Quettah. — Deaths among the Cattle from a Poisonous 
Herb in lucerne.—Bursting of a Water-course.—Adventure 
to a Party of “ Skinner’s Horse.”—Dreadful Sickness at 
Quettah. — Expedition under Colonel Soppit. — Command 
of Force assumed by Brigadier England.—Sanatory Report 
on the State of Quettah.—Savage Murder of Mrs. Smith.— 
Nusseer Khan.—Departure of Major Boscawen. . . 124 




XIV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

PAGE 

March from Quettah.—Kooshlac Pass.—Hyderzye.—Hy- 
kulzie.—Syed Rokun Kagote.—Arumbee.—Killa Abdoolah. 

—Kojuk Pass.—Country between Kojuk Pass and Canda- 
har. — Disturbances in North of Affghanistan.—Candahar 
Cantonments.—Ukrum Khan.—Candahar.— Brigade under 
Colonel Mac Laren marches en route to Cabul—Brigade 
returns.—Bengal Sepoys.—16th Regiment. . . .133 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Colonel Mac Laren’s Brigade detained at Candahar.—Dis¬ 
affection of the Affghans.—Alarm on Christmas-Day.—Mur¬ 
der of Lieutenant Golding.—The Jan Baz.-—Defeat of Jan 
Baz by Captain Leeson.—Prince Sufter Jhung joins Enemy’s 
Camp.—Difficulty in obtaining Supplies.— Battle of Ur- 
ghundaub.—General Nott receives Instructions to evacuate 
Candahar. ......... 152 


CHAPTER XV. 

Steeple Chase at Candahar.—Fives Playing.—Force or¬ 
dered out to attack Enemy’s Head-Quarters.—Prevented 
by sudden Fall of Snow -—Sickness at Candahar.—Want 
of Medicines.—Cholera. — Death of Lieutenant Armstrong. 

—Force under General Nott takes the Field.—Operations 
during Six Days.—Desperate Night Attack on Candahar. 

—Its Fortunate Repulse.—General Nott’s Policy.—Moral 
Effect Marches. . . . . . . . .168 


CHAPTER XVI. 

Continued Disaffection of the Affghans.—Attempts to 
murder Europeans.—Fatal Effects of Disobedience of Orders. 
— Summary Revenge on an Affgham—Arrival of Lord 
Ellenborough.—Affair at Baboowalla.—Fall of Ghuznee,— 
Defeat of General England.— Success at Jellalabad.—Colo¬ 
nel Wymer marches for Kojuck Pass.—Arrival of General 










CONTENTS. 


XV 


PACK 

England.—Death of Shah Soojah.—Brigade marches for 
Relief of Kelat-i-Gilzie.—Defence of Kelat-i-Gilzie and Re¬ 
pulse of Ghilzies.—Destruction of Kelat-i-Gilzie.—Affair 
near Candahar.—Return of Relieving Brigade from Kelat-i- 
Gilzie. . . . . . . . . . .187 


CHAPTER XVII. 

Preparations for leaving Candahar.—Dehra Ishmael Khan. 

—Troops leave Cantonments.—Explosion.—Evacuation of 
Candahar.—Advance on Cabul.—Affair at Killa Azeem.— 
Death of Captains Bury and Reeves.—Goaine.—Huzaurehs. 

—Capture of Ghuznee.—Jubbur Jhung.— Description of 
Ghuznee,— Rosah.— Tomb of Mahmood.—Gates of Som- 
nauth. .......... 208 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

March from Ghuznee.—Destruction of Fort where Cap¬ 
tain Woodburn had been killed.—Attack on Camp.—Beni- 
Badam.—Recovery of some of the Cabul Prisoners.—Sir 
Richmond Shakespeare.—Candahar Division arrives at Ca¬ 
bul.—General Pollock comes over to Candahar Camp. — Plis 
Interview with General Nott.—General Sale marches with a 
Brigade en route to Bamean.—Return of the Prisoners.— 
General Nott.—Cabul.—Tomb of the Emperor Baber.—Cabul 
Valley.—Lady Sale and the Female Captives.—-Force pro¬ 
ceeds to Istaliff under General MacCaskill.—Victory at Ista- 
liff.—Destruction of Cabul Bazaar. . . . . .244 

CHAPTER XIX. 

March from Cabul.— Khourd Cabul Pass.—Tezeen.—Re¬ 
lief of Rear-Guard.—Major Saunders.—Sheh Baba.—Kut- 
tey Sungh.—Award of Medal and Batta.—Jugdulluk.— 
Soorkaub. — Gundamuck. — Neemlah. — Futtey-Aboud.— 
Sultanpoor.—Death of Captain Ravenscroft.—Jellalabad.— 
Ali-Baghan.—Battee Kote-Bussole.—Dukka.—Khyber Pass. 

—Rear-Guard Duty in Khyber Pass.—Loss of Guns with 



XVI 


CONTENTS. 


General MacCaskill’s Division.—Loss of Camels in Khyber 
Pass.—Ali-Musjid.—March, from Ali-Musjid and Destruc¬ 
tion of that Fort.—Lieutenants Terry and Chamberlain 
wounded.—Candahar Army encamped in Plains of Pesha- 
wur—Achievements of “ Army of Affghanistan.”—Attacks 
on the Army by the Press. ...... 

CHAPTER XX. 

Death of Lieutenant Terry.'—General Avitabile.—Pesha- 
wur. — Army marches en route to India. — Attack. — Incident 
to Lieutenant Seymour.—Rawul Pindee.—Small-pox breaks 
out in Army.— Maunicyaula. — Rhotas.-—River Jheelum 
(Hydaspes).—River Chenab (Acesines).—River Ravee (Hy- 
draotes.) —River Sutledge (Hypasis).—Candahar Division 
marches into Ferozepore. ...... 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Lord Ellenborough’s Government.—Grand Review of the 
Forces at Ferozepore.—Breaking up of the Army,—Farewell 
Address of General Nott to the Candahar Force.—Receive 
Orders to return to England with Colonel Hibbert, &c.— 
Departure.—Lieutenant Henry Seymour. 


Appendix 


ERRATUM. 

Page 131, line 10, for “one of the few decidedly efficient men,’'' read “ 
dedly one of the most efficient men,” &c. 


PAGE 

270 

299 

315 

323 

deci- 





RECOLLECTIONS 

OF 

FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

WITH H. M. FORTIETH REGIMENT. 


CHAPTER I. 

Order to March.—Consequent Joy and Excitement.—Unnecessary 
Accumulation of Baggage.—Regrets at Departure.—Present 
System of Officers purchasing Houses : Expense and Inconve¬ 
nience caused to Officers thereby..—Hospitalities at Deesa.— 
March from Deesa.—Visit of Rajah of Rahdunpoor. — His 
Palace.—Famine in Cutch.— Exorbitant Charges for Camels, 
&c.—Run of Cutch.—Mirage.—Anticipation of Active Em¬ 
ployment at Kurachee.—Good Conduct of the 40 th Regiment. 

In the month of December 1838, H. M. 40th 
Regiment, then stationed at Deesa, on the north¬ 
west frontier of Guzerat, received instructions to 
hold itself in readiness to proceed to Lower Scinde. 
There it hoped to form part of the corps d'armee 
of Scinde, which, towards the end of that year, 
had been assembled at Bombay under his Excel¬ 
lency the Commander-in-chief of the Presidency, 
Lieutenant-general Sir J. Keane, for the purpose 
of carrying out the policy of the Governor-general, 

B 







2 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


as embodied in his Lordship’s celebrated Manifesto, 
of the 1st of October 1838.* 

The arrival of the order to which I have referred, 
caused no slight degree of excitement in the lines 
of H. M. 40th Regiment, and diffused among us 
considerable joy, in the anticipation that we were 
yet to share in the honours and perils of the active 
corps ctarmee. Such joyous hopes of good fortune 
were, however, but short-lived; for, long ere leaving 
Deesa, we received the too certain intelligence that 
the 40th was destined to form part of a corps 
de reserve which was to be assembled at Kura- 
chee, (a sea-port in Scinde, to the westward of the 
Indus,) under Brigadier Valiant, K. H., and which 
was to be stationed in Lower Scinde at different 
points, as circumstances might render expedient. 

Continued inactive service, particularly in the 
East, where regiments are permitted to remain so 
long at the same station, is apt to produce aud 
encourage indulgence in comforts and luxuries 
most unnecessary and expensive : it is, in conse¬ 
quence, surprising how great is the accumulation of 
articles, supposed at the time of their acquisition 
to have been essentials, which, when the order 
for march arrives, are found not only perfectly use¬ 
less, but in every way cumbersome and vexatious. 
In this, as in other things of equal and greater im¬ 
portance, experience teaches, not wisdom. 

It would be well were officers, both on their own 


* Appendix A. 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


8 


account and that of their men, ever to bear in mind 
the necessity, and compel the observance, of the 
rule, that nothing is more essential—nay, more im¬ 
peratively called for, than that the establishments 
of the members of a corps, individually and collec¬ 
tively, should be kept in that state which would 
best enable them at once to take the field; and I 
feel assured that nothing would more conduce to 
the attainment of this object, and be of greater ser¬ 
vice to all classes, than not only the restriction by 
Government of officers and men to a certain num¬ 
ber of baggage-cattle, but the strict enforcement of 
an undeviating adherence to such an order. 

It is no unusual circumstance for subalterns, in 
time of war, to have five or six camels for the car¬ 
riage of their baggage; and when such is the case, 
and other ranks travel in a proportionate degree of 
grandeur, it is easy to conceive what an unwieldy 
mass the baggage of an Indian army becomes,— 
and, as a natural result, how much the duties and 
anxieties of a rear-guard are increased. 

Those officers who have ever borne part in the 
preparations for moving a corps in India, even from 
one station to another,—much more for equipping 
it for immediate active service,—must remember, 
with aught but feelings of pleasure or satisfaction, 
the delays, annoyances, and consequent squander¬ 
ing of valuable time caused by the arrangements 
necessary for the disposal of superfluous stores, kit, 
&c., and the difficulty in procuring the requisite 




4 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

quantity of carriage for the transport of overgrown 
baggage. These observations par parenthese . 

In a short time, by the exercise of consider¬ 
able ingenuity and perseverance, our kits were 
reduced to what we thought marching condition, 
and we looked anxiously and impatiently for the 
day on which we were to leave cantonments. Sol¬ 
dier-like, after having sojourned three years at 
Deesa, we desired a change of scene ; and yet our 
joy at leaving this station was mingled with no 
small share of regret in the contemplation of our 
approaching separation from the different corps 
composing the Deesa field-brigade, with whom we 
had been so long and happily associated, and be¬ 
tween whose officers and ourselves there had sub¬ 
sisted a more than usual degree of kindness and 
unity of feeling. 

Those of the 40th who served at Deesa during 
1836, and the two following years, will always 
recur to these years with lively emotions of plea¬ 
sure, and, though not the most eventful, will class 
them among those connected with the most plea¬ 
surable reminiscences of their Eastern life,—em¬ 
bittered though the recollection be with the sad 
conviction, that death has been more than usually 
busy among the members of the old Deesa brigade, 
and that many a young and gallant heart which then 
beat high in life and hope, now rests in the silent 
tomb,—calm, motionless, unknowing, but not for¬ 
gotten. 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


5 


Considerable loss, and no little annoyance, were 
experienced at this time by the officers of many of 
the corps which now took the field, from their 
being obliged to leave the houses they had pur¬ 
chased on entering cantonments,—with no imme¬ 
diate, and but little distant, hope of being able 
to dispose of them. The system which at pre¬ 
sent obtains in India, of requiring officers to pro¬ 
vide themselves with houses in cantonments at 
their own expense, I cannot but view as objection¬ 
able. In such a view, I am aware I am far from 
being singular ; and in embodying my opinions on 
this, as well as on many other subjects, I shall 
doubtless say much that has already been said, and 
in a better and more forcible manner. 

It must ever be the policy and intention of Go¬ 
vernment to guard its servants, so far as consistency 
and a regard for the public interest will permit, 
against loss : and I conceive that not only would 
this object be effected, and thereby a great boon 
conferred on the officers of the army, but an im¬ 
mense saving would eventually be made by Govern¬ 
ment, were all houses in cantonments made public 
property, and the officers charged a moderate rent, 
on the same principle as that pursued in garrison. 

It is urged by many, that the increased allow¬ 
ance given to officers in the field is to repay them 
for any additional expense they may have to incur 
in the purchase of houses at out-stations; but I 
maintain that it can only be viewed as the means 







6 


FOUR YEARS SERVICE IN THE EAST 


of providing them with camp equipage, and of en¬ 
abling them to defray the increased expense for 
necessary supplies, caused by the distance at which 
field-stations are from the Presidencies, whence 
those supplies generally proceed. 

To suppose that officers at field-stations should 
dwell in tents, is to entertain an idea of the practi¬ 
cability of a measure amounting almost to an im¬ 
possibility, as not one constitution in a thousand 
would be able to withstand the enervating influence 
of such exposure to the heat; and regiments would 
thus be deprived of the services of their officers, 
whose superintendence of, and intercourse with, the 
men are so essential to uphold the discipline and 
well-being of the army. 

That it is not the intention of Government that 
officers should be exposed to the risk of thus ruin¬ 
ing their constitutions, is evident from the fact that 
at every permanent cantonment, comfortable bar¬ 
racks are built for the men, and that, on the estab¬ 
lishment of new cantonments, officers are entitled 
to a certain advance from Government, to enable 
them to build bungalows,—such advance being 
refunded by deductions from the pay of those 
officers who take advantage of this Government 
indulgence. 

It rarely happens that an officer can rent a house 
in cantonments; he is therefore compelled to pur¬ 
chase one, which seldoms costs less than from 2000 
to 3000 rupees, or from 200/. to 300/.: it becomes, 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


7 


therefore, a matter of very serious inconvenience, 
particularly to the junior ranks, when a regiment is 
ordered to take the field, and no other is sent to 
relieve it, as was the case in 1838 with the Queen’s 
Royals at Belgaum, and H. M. 40th at Deesa; for 
the proprietors of houses are thus not only deprived 
of the sum they expended in their purchase, and 
which, on the eve of a march, would be most ac¬ 
ceptable, but they are also put to the expense of 
keeping up a guard, or species of private native 
police, to look after and keep in repair the property 
during their absence, or until an opportunity pre¬ 
sents itself for its disposal. 

All these annoyances would be removed by Go¬ 
vernment taking the officers’ bungalows into their 
own hands; the deductions for house-rent would 
soon repay the sum expended in their building or 
purchase, and very little extra trouble would be 
entailed on the barrack-master department in the 
event of the houses becoming unoccupied. Add to 
all this, there would not be the same inducement 
for officers to incur (needlessly, I grant,) the very 
great expense many do in the outward and inward 
adorning of their houses,—numbers of which are 
furnished in a style that would not disgrace the 
drawing-room at home of a gentleman of good for¬ 
tune. It is frequently absurd—the extent to which 
the spirit of emulation in furnishing their houses 
neatly—perhaps with more truth it may be said 
effeminately —is carried among some officers, and 








8 FOUR YEARS' SERVICE IN THE EAST 

might form a fruitful theme for commentary for 
those who interest themselves in the cause of extra¬ 
vagance in regimental messes. 

Having participated largely in the hospitalities of 
our friends at Deesa, and having been paid the com¬ 
pliment of being publicly entertained at dinner by 
Major-general Brooks commanding, and the officers 
of the brigade, we marched out of Deesa en route 
to Mandavie on the morning of the 4th of January, 
1889. 

The depot, consisting of a few sick men, and 
the women and children of the regiment, were left 
behind under command of Brevet-captain Stamford. 

On leaving Deesa, the 40th mustered six hundred 
and fifty bayonets, and I will venture to say there 
was not a smarter or more ‘ service-like’ corps in the 
different armies assembled at this time. Our route 
at first lay through a part of Guzerat, and resem¬ 
bled the other portions of this province we had 
had already seen, being alike distinguished for its 
generally bleak appearance and vast extent of bau¬ 
ble jungle. At about forty miles from Deesa, we 
encamped close to the walls of Rahdunpoor, a place 
formerly doubtless of consequence, but now possess¬ 
ing little importance. The Bajah, who resides here, 
and whom we had frequently seen at Deesa, came 
out in the afternoon to visit us. He drove up to our 
mess-tent in what had been some hundred years ago 
a handsome curricle, but which possessed little of 
the beauty and elegant lightness of the carriages 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


9 


of tlie present clay. His Highness, a handsome 
delicate looking youth, drove himself; and seated 
beside him in his curricle was his minister, a bloated, 
disgusting, sensual-looking piece of mortality. His 
retinue was composed of the most perfect rabble I 
ever saw. 

Being apprized of his intention to visit us, a 
guard of honour, composed of the grenadiers of 
the regiment, w r as drawn up in front of the mess 
tent, where on his arrival he was received by Co¬ 
lonel Valiant, who presented the officers to his 
Highness. Before taking his leave, he invited us 
to a Nautcli at his palace in the evening, and all 
off duty attended,—more for the purpose, however, 
of seeing the royal abode, than in the hope of 
deriving amusement or gratification from this most 
tiresome, discordant, and uninteresting source of 
native enjoyment and gaiety. 

At this distance of time, I am unable to give any 
but a most imperfect description of the interior of the 
palace; so far, however, as my recollection serves 
me, it was even more paltry than the palaces of 
petty Rajahs generally are,—well stocked with de¬ 
tached portions of old European furniture—pro¬ 
bably procured at the sale of some deceased officer’s 
effects—a superfluity of execrable prints, and an un¬ 
limited supply of very small and exceedingly dis¬ 
torting mirrors. The citadel was fast going to 
decay, but as far as I could judge from the hurried 
inspection I made, it must have been a place of con- 










10 FOUR years’ service in the east 

siderable strength. The town differed in no essen¬ 
tial particular from those I have seen in the East, 
being like them distinguished for narrow streets 
and close bazaars, and decidedly inferior to none 
in filth. 

Shortly after leaving Rahdunpoor, we entered 
the province of Cutch. Here we found supplies of 
everything scarce and dear, owing to the dreadful 
famine of which this land had been the scene, con¬ 
sequent on there having been, for two seasons, such 
a very slight monsoon. For miles, hardly a blade 
of grass was to be seen, and seldom did a symptom 
of cultivation meet the eye. The gaunt haggard 
appearance of the natives, spoke painfully and for¬ 
cibly of the miseries they had endured, and under 
which they were still labouring. Noble exertions 
had been made throughout India to raise funds for 
procuring the necessaries of life for the starving 
population of this and similarly afflicted districts; 
and although much was effected by the princely 
sum realized by the subscriptions of those possessed 
of such means of relief, yet, as in all similar cases, it 
was vain to hope to minister to the wants of all. 
Sickness, ever the attendant on famine, was making 
dreadful ravages; hunger was the incitement to 
crime; and well authenticated cases of mothers offer¬ 
ing their children for sale from actual want, were 
not unfrequent. 

From the proximity of Deesa to Cutch, it was 
natural to suppose that we should suffer to some 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


11 


small extent from the influences of the famine 
with which this neighbouring province had been 
visited. This we experienced not only in the dif¬ 
ficulty found in procuring cattle in sufficient num¬ 
bers to move the camp-equipage of the 40th, but 
also in the enormous charges for them, each camel 
costing us upwards of a rupee per diem , while those 
of the Bengal division under Sir H. Fane were, we 
understood, procurable for nine rupees per mensem , 
—a rate of hire which I believe in the northern 
provinces is considered rather exorbitant. 

Continuing our route, we crossed part of the “ Bun 
of Cutch,” a desert waste, the mirage on which is 
one of the most curious and magnificent sights I 
have ever seen. The whole country had the appear¬ 
ance of a vast extent of water, and every object 
around presented itself in a peculiar and strangely- 
enlarged shape,—the smallest twigs and bushes as¬ 
suming the character of the most beautiful and 
lofty trees, raising a visionary forest, the effect of 
which was most pleasing and grateful to the eye. 
The appearance of the camels in the distance was 
particularly striking; their legs being concealed from 
view by the effects of the mirage, they seemed to 
glide along the imaginary lake like mighty vessels, 
accounting probably, as some writer has observed, 
for this animal being called the “ ship of the desert.” 

So complete was the deception relative to the 
appearance of water, that on one morning after a 
very long march, I have a perfect recollection of 








12 FOUR years’ service in the east 

seeing many of the men going off after breakfast for 
the purpose, as they supposed, of enjoying a bath,— 
this lake, much to their chagrin, and the amusement 
of those too knowing or too lazy to accompany 
them, turning out a Will-o’-the-wisp. 

There was little else in the general appearance of 
the country to interest, differing slightly as it did 
from the low brushwood-studded plains of Guzerat, 
with which our eyes had been so long familiar. 
The jungles were well stocked with game, especially 
when near a river. We found numbers of wild hog, 
but owing to the thickness and extent of the cover, 
it was almost impossible to ride them, so our sport 
was limited. 

With the exception of Addysir and Anjar, we 
passed no town of any size. The supply of water 
was good at the daily halting-places laid down in 
the route furnished by the Quartermaster-general; 
and the encamping grounds were good and ex¬ 
tensive. 

When within a few marches of Mandavie, our 
Commandant, Colonel Valiant, received instruction 
to the effect that opposition might be expected to 
our landing at Kurachee, and—as the immediate 
occupation of that sea-port would much facilitate 
the operations and expedite the progress of the 
corps dJarmee which had landed at Vikkur, near one 
of the mouths of the Indus, and was slowly ad¬ 
vancing on Hyderabad,—calling on him to move 
forward the reserve as quickly as possible. Hav- 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 13 

ing made a forced march, we reached Mandavie on 
the morning of the 27th of January. 

In concluding this chapter, I may be excused for 
indulging in a piece of regimental vanity in stating 
that H. M. 40th had now finished a march of up¬ 
wards of two hundred and forty miles, during the 
performance of which not one case of drunkenness 
had occurred, and only one instance of misconduct 
—and that of a very trivial nature. 








14 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER II. 

Arrival at Mandavie.—-H. M. S. Wellesley.—Artillery and Sepoys 
awaiting us.-—Ordered to proceed on board Flag-ship.—Em¬ 
barkation.—-Reception from Officers of Wellesley.—Anxiety 
on Account of Disappearance of Three Officers.—Sail for Kura- 
chee.—Arrival there.—Anchor off Minhora—Capture of that 
Fort.—Surrender of Kurachee.—Bivouac at Minhora. 

On inarching into Mandavie, we found awaiting 
our arrival, H. M. S. Wellesley, seventy-four, bearing 
the flag of His Excellency Rear Admiral Sir Frede¬ 
rick Maitland, one of the H. C. steamers, the trans¬ 
port ship Hannah, and a considerable fleet of coun¬ 
try boats, for the conveyance of stores, ammuni¬ 
tion, horses, &c. A company of European artillery, 
(Bombay,) under command of Captain W. Brett, 
which had marched from Bhooj, as also the 2nd 
Bombay N. I. grenadiers, under Major Forbes, 
which had been embarked at Bombay in the H. C. 
steamer, and which were to form part of the Scinde 
reserve force, had likewise arrived. 

The beach at Mandavie was the scene of much 
confusion : ammunition and warlike stores of every 
description were lying about; officers, and subordi¬ 
nates of public departments, were moving to and 
fro, intent on their various avocations; while regi- 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


15 


mental officers, during tlieir short respite from 
duty, were rushing frantically about in the hope 
of procuring boats to carry their baggage and 
horses to Kurachee,—a matter of no easy accom¬ 
plishment, as so many of the country craft were 
required for the public service. At length all the 
material was shipped, and it was found that boats 
sufficient remained for all private purposes. 

The company of artillery was directed to repair 
on board the transport ship, and H. M. 40th to em¬ 
bark in the evening in H. M. S. Wellesley. The 
bombardiers certainly had the best of it in one 
point of view at least, having more room and being 
enabled to take their baggage with them. Whereas, 
we of the royal army were allowed to take on board 
the flag-ship a very reduced portion of kit, and as 
may be supposed, having a body of six hundred and 
fifty men with us and more than a proportionate 
number of officers, we were considerably crowded. 

Holding the staff-situation of Adjutant, my time 
from the moment of arrival at Mandavie was com¬ 
pletely occupied, in conjunction with the Quarter¬ 
master, and Lieutenant Jerningham, R.N. of the flag¬ 
ship, who was our most invaluable colleague in carry¬ 
ing out the arrangements made by our respective 
chiefs for the embarkation of the 40th in the evening. 
This service was commenced about eight p. m., under 
the immediate superintendence of Lieutenant-co¬ 
lonel Powell of the 40th, who had that morning 
joined and taken command of the regiment. Owing 








16 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


to the scarcity of boats and the distance at which 
the Wellesley was anchored from the shore, the last 
detachment did not get on board until nearly two 
o’clock on the morning of the 28th. 

Our reception from our gallant brethren of the 
sister service was most gratifying; every endeavour 
was made by them to render our situation as com¬ 
fortable as possible. The novelty of our position 
tended in some degree to reconcile us to the dif¬ 
ference of sleeping on terra firma with lots of elbow- 
room, and being stowed away as thickly as possible 
in a cock-pit, several feet below the level of the 
sea, and where the few rays of light that entered 
only served to make the darkness more visible. 
But not the least amusing part connected with our 
temporary residence in the midshipman’s palace, 
was the awkwardness of the landsmen in their at¬ 
tempts, sometimes unsuccessful, to get into the ham¬ 
mocks, affording infinite source of good-natured 
merriment at the expense of the 44 sodjer officers .” 

The day after our embarkation, the Admiral set 
sail for the Hujamree mouth of the Indus, off 
which we anchored: from the poop we could plainly 
see several tents of some portion of the army. 
Shortly after our arrival we were joined byH.M. S. 
Algerine and one or two of the Honourable Com¬ 
pany’s cruisers. 

During our s6jour at this place, we were in great 
anxiety in consequence of the disappearance of Cap¬ 
tain M c Gregor, commanding the transport Hannah, 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 17 

Captain Brett, of the artillery, and another officer 
whose name I forget. It happened that in the even¬ 
ing they had gone out in one of the ship's cutters to 
amuse themselves; and while rowing about at a 
considerable distance from the shipping, a strong 
breeze sprung up from the shore, which, with the 
assistance of a powerful current, carried them, un¬ 
known to us, far out to sea. Blue-lights and other 
signals were made during the night; morning came 
at length, but the boat and crew were nowhere to 
be seen: the wind having, however, subsided, it was 
hoped they would soon appear, but not doing so, 
a schooner was dispatched in search, which, after 
cruising about for a time, fell in with our friends, 
for whose safety we began to be most apprehensive. 
During the height of the storm, they had succeeded, 
by a piece of great good fortune, in laying hold of 
a passing pattimar , in which they passed the night, 
and were enabled to return. It never would have 
done on the eve of our brilliant and eventful 
achievements at Minliora, to have lost our Com¬ 
mandant of Artillery. 

On the evening of the 31st of January, we re¬ 
ceived our final instructions, which were, to pro¬ 
ceed to Kurachee and take it.” We accordingly 
immediately weighed anchor and set sail for that 
port. On the evening of the 1st of February, we 
anchored within seven or eight hundred yards of 
the small fort of Minliora, which guards the en¬ 
trance to the harbour of Kurachee,—rather a dan- 


c 








18 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

gerous proximity to the enemy’s stronghold, espe¬ 
cially had his ordnance been good—which fortu¬ 
nately for us was not the case. 

Immediately after anchoring, our boats were 
lowered, and we proceeded to prevent any com¬ 
munication with the harbour from the numerous 
fishing-smacks and country craft. While employed 
in this service, our boats were several times fired 
on from the fort, but with no effect. Every one 
looked anxiously for the morrow, anticipating from 
the hostile feeling already shown by the garrison, 
that the reserve would open the campaign. 

Morning at length broke, and the sun burst forth 
in all that glorious effulgence which can only 
be witnessed in the tropics; there was not a 
breath to ripple the sea, or disturb the vast uniform 
brightness of its glassy surface. The white walls of 
the little fort, perched on its rocky cliff, stood erect 
before us, and the city of*Kurachee in the distance, 
with its long chain of bold, beautiful, but sterile 
hills in the background, all contributed to form a 
picture of no ordinary grandeur. 

The calmness of the scene was broken by the 
preparations on board the flag-ship, where the crew 
were busily engaged, “ clearing for action,” while 
the soldiers and marines were taking a quiet but 
minute inspection of their flints and ammunition. 

The amusements of the day began about eight 
o’clock in the morning, when a flag of truce was 
sent on shore under charge of Lieutenant Jen- 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


19 


kins, I. N., accompanied by Captain Gray, II. M. 
40th regiment, as interpreter:—the instructions of 
these officers were, to require the immediate and 
unconditional surrender of the fort. Compliance 
with this modest request being refused, preparations 
for landing the artillery and four companies of the 
40th, under Lieutenant-colonel Powell, K. H., were 
immediately commenced; and this object was 
effected on the western side of the fort, under cover 
of H. M.S. Algerine and H. C. S. Constance, which 
stood in for this purpose. A second flag of truce 
was now sent, but with as little success as the 
first. The Killadar, Wussul Ben Butcha or some 
equally unpronounceable or unwriteable name, ad¬ 
mitted that he was perfectly aware that his fort 
must fall to so superior and well equipped a force; 
but he could not, consistently with his reputation 
as a soldier, and his faith as a Belooch, be guilty 
of the double crime of disobedience of orders, 
and surrendering his post. He offered, however, to 
send down to Kurachee, from the Governor of 
which he felt assured he should receive instruc¬ 
tions to deliver up the fort at once. All this was 
very fine and very specious, but the old Admiral 
was not to be done ; he said he would admit of no 
temporising, and ten or fifteen minutes were given 
to the Killadar to consider; at the expiration of 
which time, that functionary still refusing to accede 
to our request, the Wellesley opened her broadside 
on the fort with admirable precision. 









20 


FOUR YEARS 5 SERVICE IN THE EAST 


A second division, composed of the remainder of 
the 40th, was now ordered on shore, under Major 
Hibbert; this I was permitted to accompany,—leave 
to join the first having been refused me, although, 
from my immediate commanding officer having gone 
in command of it, and the grenadiers,—the company 
to which I belonged (being only acting Adjutant) 
—forming part of it, I had anticipated having the 
honour of accompanying the first division. As it 
turned out, however, I saw as much of this affair 
by remaining on board the Wellesley to perform 
the duties of Adjutant-general,—Captain Valiant, 
who was acting in that capacity, having landed in 
command of the Light Company,—as if I had ac¬ 
companied the Colonel; for, before reaching the 
shore with the second division, we saw the British 
ensign waving on the breach which had been effected 
in the walls, and on arriving found that, notwith¬ 
standing the high tone assumed by our friend the 
Killadar, we had gained a bloodless victory at the 
expense of some five or six thousand pounds of 
powder and a proportionate number of thirty-two 
pound shot. 

The Killadar and his brave comrades had de¬ 
serted the garrison after the fourth or fifth round, 
and sought refuge in the crevices of the rocks, where 
a few of them were taken. 

During the landing of the troops of the first divi¬ 
sion, one gun was fired from the fort; the shot struck 
the water and bounded on, doing no further injury 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


21 


than splashing the boat’s crew against which it had 
been directed. Doubtless, the garrison would have 
favoured us with many more specimens of their 
prowess in the art of gunnery, but, unfortunately, 
this gratification was placed beyond their attainment 
by the obstinacy and incapacity of their guns,—one 
of which had no carriage,—another (the one which 
had been fired that morning) had jumped from its 
carriage, which it had destroyed in its violent effort 
for freedom,—while the only remaining one, I be¬ 
lieve, had evidently resisted every attempt to make 
it serviceable in the defence of the fortress, and 
had positively declined going off. This gun was also 
loaded to the muzzle, and the last time I saw it, 
months after the capture of the fort, it remained 
still a loaded gun, notwithstanding the unremitting 
exertions of many an idler who visited Minhora to 
discharge it. 

The whole affair was, however, a pretty thing, or 
if I may be allowed to use the expression, a bril¬ 
liant field day; and, in a military sense, it ought to 
have been permitted to remain such. The orders 
issued, hoAvever, rather overshot the mark, and 
tended to bring into ridicule the capture of the fort, 
which really was, from its important position as the 
principal sea-port of Scinde, and the effect of its 
fall on the Ameers of Scinde, a matter of much 
consequence. 

The enemy, as if not to be out-done by us in 
their official report to the Ameers on the fall of the 









22 FOUR years’ service in the east 

fort, stated that after a gallant and obstinate defence 
of two hours, they were at length compelled to 
yield to the irresistible attack of seven thousand 
British, backed by the guns of an immense fleet! 
One of the thirty-two pound shot was sent to Hy¬ 
derabad that their Highnesses might judge of the 
extraordinary strength and means of the besiegers. 
The number of British who met a warrior’s grave 
was not mentioned. 

Having reported myself on landing, I proceeded 
to inspect the fort, and have a look at that portion 
of the garrison, amounting to about thirty, who had 
been made prisoners. Minhora, in size, was very 
inconsiderable; it had, however, been always sup¬ 
posed, from its commanding position, impregnable, 
and would possibly have defied the attempts of any 
native power to reduce it. One great obstacle to its 
making any lengthened defence would arise from 
the total want of water on the promontory on which 
it is built,—that and all other necessary articles for 
the use of the garrison being brought from Kura- 
chee, a distance of at least two miles. In the gar¬ 
rison was found a magazine, well stocked with very 
indifferent powder and several piles of small round 
shot; it boasted of little or nothing else—and this 
small rectangular sea-defence was as deficient of 
architectural beauty as of prize money! I was 
much struck with the fine features of the defenders 
of this stronghold. I have never seen handsomer or 
more athletic men. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


23 


The capture of Minhora appeared to have struck 
the greatest terror into the inhabitants of Kurachee. 
During the afternoon, the clouds of dust that rolled 
along the hills marked the progress of those who 
were deserting their city, fearful that it was soon to 
become the prey of an advancing army. We, how¬ 
ever, remained close to Minhora, where we bivou¬ 
acked for the night, our chief having sent Captain 
Gray and Lieutenant Jenkins to offer terms to the 
authorities of Kurachee, which were accepted. 

The Admiral and Brigadier landed in the even¬ 
ing to inspect the scene of their triumph, after 
which they returned, accompanied by Colonel 
Powell, to enjoy a comfortable dinner, while we 
small fry amused ourselves planting picquets. 

After this, those off duty contrived to pass the 
evening tolerably happy, having been furnished 
with a few bottles of wine and some hard biscuit 
by our gallant friends of the Wellesley. All fires 
having been put out in the ship, when she cleared 
for action, nothing could be cooked there; to com¬ 
pensate, as far as possible, for our disappointment 
in not getting our dinner as we had antici¬ 
pated, the gentlemen of the ward-room sent us a 
live sheep on shore, which was delivered to us 
with most humorous solemnity by the middy who 
had been intrusted with the mission, and who en¬ 
joyed to the utmost our chagrin, or rather our dis¬ 
may, in debating what we were to do with the ani¬ 
mal, destitute as we were of every means of cooking 








24 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


it—even if we had understood the art of butchery 
sufficiently to have slain it. 

By a fortunate coincidence our Colonel had been 
provided by some kind friend with a cold duck; 
this, on going off to the Wellesley, he had placed 
in his haversack, intending it for his breakfast 
the next morning, and had hung it up in a small 
idol-house of which we had taken possession. Some 
sharp-nosed hungry sub accidentally found it out; 
it was too much for human nature to resist, espe¬ 
cially considering that it was upwards of twelve hours 
since we had breakfasted; so down came the duck, 
which sufficed for one of the most delightful meals 
conceivable. The Colonel bore his loss with much 
equanimity, and although the transaction at the 
time did not call forth that approbation from him 
which the perpetrators thought it deserved, yet he 
often laughed at it heartily afterwards. As night 
advanced, we began to look out for as soft a stone as 
we could; Olpherts and myself secured a good birth 
in one of the guard-rooms near the gate of the fort. 
That I slept well, and that my friend was comfort¬ 
able also, may be inferred from the fact that I did 
not awake till long after the sun had risen, when I 
found that Dick Olpherts had, by a piece of singular 
dexterity, most unintentionally of course, and un¬ 
known to me, appropriated my cloak to himself. 

February the 3rd.—This morning I was indebted 
for breakfast to my friend Major Hibbert, who 
had succeeded in the morning in foraging to some 















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


25 


advantage. We remained all day at Minhora, it 
having been decided that the force should not 
proceed to Kurachee until the treaty had been 
ratified, which was to be done that day. About 
noon the authorities of Kurachee repaired on board 
the flag-ship, where, after an interchange of civili¬ 
ties, the terms of the treaty were agreed on; the 
prisoners of war were then released, their arms re¬ 
stored to them, and orders were issued to the troops 
to be in readiness to move on Kurachee the fol¬ 
lowing morning. 

In the evening we moved down to the beach under 
the fort, where we were to bivouac for the niodit: 
here we received a supply of ship’s pork from the 
Wellesley, and also a quantity of pea soup,—which 
latter being brought ashore in an old rum-cask, had 
little on the score of improved flavour to recom¬ 
mend it. Thus ended the taking of the fort of 
Minhora on the high point of land at the mouth of 
the harbour of Kurachee. 








20 


FOUR YEARS SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER III. 

Proceed to Kurachee.—-Appearance of Kurachee.— Description 
of.—Force employed on Fatigue Duty.— Mugger Talloa.— 
The Hot Springs.—Departure of H. M. S. Wellesley.—Severe 
Squalls at Kurachee.—Melancholy Event in Sir J. Keane's 
Army. 


About eleven a.m. of the 4th of February, the 
small boats of the fleet rendezvou’ed close to the 
beach under the fort of Minhora; and the business 
of embarking the troops having been completed, we 
proceeded, led by the Admiral, to Kurachee. 

The first appearance of the city was rather pre¬ 
possessing, and those whose lot was likely to be cast 
in it for some time, looked with a degree of satis¬ 
faction and happy anticipation at being established 
in a quarter seemingly enjoying so many natural 
advantages, and possessing, from situation, so many 
requisites for a healthy station. 

Being early in the year, everything bore a pleas¬ 
ing aspect, and in our imaginations we had trans¬ 
formed the distant forests of mangrove and prickly 
pear which greeted our eye, into extensive plains 
of cultivated land, intersected and varied by tracts 
of jungle, where the sportsman would find ample 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


27 


space for the indulgence of his favourite amuse¬ 
ment ;—in fact, that we were about to enter on a 
land of promise, where plenty reigned, and which, 
from its proximity to the sea, would ensure that 
rude health would be our never-failing attendant. 
Vain hope! our first landing showed how futile 
were all our expectations. Then the sad reality 
burst upon us, that our home for some time would 
be in the dreary sterility of a barren plain, scarcely 
diversified by the bleak, uninteresting, and unpro¬ 
ductive hills around, whose dull monotonous brown 
was varied, but not relieved, by the stunted prickly- 
pear bushes with which they are studded. A fur¬ 
ther knowledge of the land proved to us, that we 
had indeed entered the “ gloomy portal of a deso¬ 
late and uinteresting country.” 

We had timed our arrival at Kurachee badly, 
as when we got there it was low water; and we 
deemed it judicious, with a due regard to comfort, 
to get ourselves carried for some distance through 
the mud on the shoulders of the Scindees. This 
was rather a tedious and unpleasant operation ;—at 
length it was effected, unattended by any event of 
interest,—unless the usual proportion of accidents 
which, on such occasions, generally befal the more 
corpulent, deserve that character. 

The dignitaries of Kurachee were ready to re¬ 
ceive us, and, after the usual salaaming in such cases, 
the Admiral, Brigadier, and Staff set off to visit the 
fort, and pay their respects to the Hakim. My 




28 FOUR years’ service in the east 

boat with my two horses having arrived, I was en¬ 
abled to mount in good style our sea and land chiefs 
—which of course was a more becoming and dignified 
manner of proceeding to the house of the Governor, 
than if they had been compelled to walk. 

The town of Kuraehee is exceedingly dirty, and 
the inhabitants generally are a most squalid-looking 
set of wretches. Its population, according to Lieu¬ 
tenant Postans, is about ten thousand; but other 
accounts estimate it at more than double this num¬ 
ber. The great majority are Hindoos. The houses 
are generally mud-built and flat-roofed; on the top 
of them are wicker ventilators facing the sea, 
which perform the double duty of windsail and 
skylight. The streets are narrow and incommo¬ 
dious. The bazaar is covered over with matting, to 
prevent the rays of the sun penetrating, but which 
also precluding a free current of air, adds much to 
the desagremens of those frequenting it. The re¬ 
mains of a mud-wall surround the citadel, where 
there are a few wretched guns;—altogether the 
defences are in a most dilapidated state, and, had 
we been obliged to attack, we should have found 
numerous very practicable breaches ready made. 

The principal portion of the better description of 
houses are in the centre of the town, but there are 
no public buildings worthy of notice. The suburbs 
are extensive: in their vicinity are several tan- 
pits, the stench from which is most disgusting 
and overpowering. For the preparation of hides, 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 29 

Kurachee lias great celebrity. A considerable trade 
is carried on between this port and Bombay, Du- 
maum, Mandavie, the Malabar Coast, Muscat, &c. 
The principal exports are fleece, wool, sharks’ fins, 
dried fruits, dyes, leather, silk goods, &c.; and the 
principal imports sugar, spices, British cloths, grain, 
wood, brass, steel, tin, &c. 

The creek which leads from the harbour is navi¬ 
gable for small boats only, and goods are usually 
conveyed to and from the larger vessels by means of 
flat-bottomed boats ;—an outlay of a few thousand 
rupees would, however, remedy this inconvenience. 

The majority of the inhabitants appeared de¬ 
lighted at our arrival, and hailed our occupation of 
the city as if a brighter beam of happiness were 
about to dawn on them. The anticipation of a free 
circulation of Bombay rupees among them was not, 
I dare say, without its effect in ministering to their 
hopes of enjoyment for the future. 

The visits of ceremony having been performed, 
the Brigadier, along with the acting Quarter¬ 
master-general and commanding officers of corps, 
went to reconnoitre the country, and fix on a place 
for the encampment of the troops. A suitable 
position having been determined on, the different 
corps marched up to their ground, and prepared to 
bivouac for the night. 

Not having had our meals regularly for the 
last two or three days, and being withal tolerably 
hungry, I was much pleased to find that one of my 











30 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

servants, who had got to my ground before me, was 
already far advanced in the preparation for himself 
of a fish curry. I thought it but fair, having had no 
breakfast, and seeing not the most distant prospect of 
getting a dinner, that I should share the feast with 
my slave ;—a friend coming up at the time, warmly 
applauded my design,—so we appropriated a por¬ 
tion of the mess, and freely verified the old adage, 
that “ hunger is the best sauce.” I never enjoyed 
a meal more; and the pleasure was heightened by 
the conviction, that however questionable might be 
the manner in which the refection was procured, 
there was more than sufficient to satisfy the crav¬ 
ings of all who partook of it,—the artiste himself 
included. 

On the morning of the 5th, at daybreak, the 
force was paraded for fatigue duty, to land such 
part of the camp-equipage, &c., as had arrived by 
the Mandavie boats, which were now beginning to 
drop into port. This, from the nature of the land¬ 
ing, was a more difficult and tedious undertaking 
than we had anticipated ; and the delays and diffi¬ 
culties were increased by the impossibility of pro¬ 
curing any baggage-cattle by which to carry our 
tents, &c., from the landing-place to the camp, 
—a distance of upwards of a mile. Our own 
camels had not yet arrived, nor could we expect 
them for some days, as they had gone round by 
Lukput from Mandavie. When evening closed 
in, and prevented our working any longer, we found 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


31 


that but a limited supply of our goods had been 
landed, and indeed that it would require several 
days before everything could be brought on shore. 

Time accomplishes all things; and, after having 
been engaged for some days in the above duty, our 
camp at length assumed its usual appearance of com¬ 
fort and regularity. Most conflicting reports reached 
us of the progress of the army, and, among others, 
that an action had been fought between Tatta and 
Hyderabad, in which our loss had been most severe, 
and our success most questionable. However, in 
this land, where certainly “ truth is stranger than 
fiction,” nothing could be relied on, and this report, 
like many others, turned out to be devoid of founda¬ 
tion. The generally received opinion seemed to be, 
that our force would be permanently stationed at 
Kurachee; but, to guard against all accidents, we 
resolved to keep up our baggage-cattle. 

This was done at an enormous expense, for Ku¬ 
rachee, though it was represented as being more 
than usually well provided with supplies of every 
necessary description, we found to be utterly des¬ 
titute of almost everything. Grain there was little 
of, forage there was none; both these essential ar¬ 
ticles had to be procured from Bombay and the 
Kattywar Coast: and the native merchants, knowing 
we were so entirely dependent on them for sup¬ 
plies, did not fail to dispose of their goods at an 
exorbitant profit. Water fit for use was only to be 
had from wells dug in the bed of a river, at a 










32 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

very great distance from the camp. There was no¬ 
thing, however, as far as I could judge, to have pre¬ 
vented our pitching our camp near the river. One 
or two wells were sunk in the camp, but the water 
was extremely brackish, and quite unfit for use. 

One fatigue-duty was hardly finished before it 
was necessary to commence another. Our camp 
was surrounded by a forest of low prickly-pear 
bushes, and for some days we were busily engaged 
in clearing a space in front, rear, and flanks. It 
was an easier undertaking than we had supposed,— 
the bushes, having but a slight tenure of the ground, 
gave way to the united exertions of a few men 
with drag ropes ; others collected this Scindian 
shrub in heaps, which being fired, the work of their 
destruction was completed. 

During the whole of February we were kept in a 
continual state of bustle and excitement ; fresh 
troops and detachments were daily coming in, officers 
proceeding to join their regiments in advance, and 
a few to swell the crowd of grumblers here. 

The flag-ship remained some time after the cap¬ 
ture of the fort, and our blue-coat friends often 
visited us on shore. The only sight in the neigh¬ 
bourhood was the Mugger Talloa, or alligators' 
tank, distant seven or eight ftiiles, to which we fre¬ 
quently went in small parties. Considering the 
very doubtful degree of friendship that subsisted 
between the Beloocliees and ourselves, it is a matter 
of surprise, and should be one of thankfulness, that 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 33 

we were not attacked in the hills, on some of these 
excursions, and cut up to a man. The route to this 
place lay over an extensive plain, covered with large 
loose stones, intersected by numerous nullahs, and 
the dry bed of a river. About four or five miles 
from the camp is a long range of hills, in one of 
which is a narrow pass; having cleared this, you 
get into a valley, which, although actually not 
much richer than that of Kurachee, has some re¬ 
mote claim to verdure. Proceeding along this 
valley for about a mile, the white dome of the 
shrine, rising from amidst a grove of beautiful 
date and other trees, bursts on the sight, forming 
one bright spot in the vast desert around. In the 
neighbourhood, scattered among the hills, are nu¬ 
merous and very perfect tombs, most elaborately 
and chastely carved in a sort of yellow sandstone. 
Close to the shrine is the Alligators’ Tank, the 
great lion of the place, on the banks of which is 
one of the most beautiful trees I ever beheld— 
a magnificent tamarind. Under this we usually 
pitched our tent on occasions of pic-nic, or rather 
more frequently satisfied ourselves with the shade 
its noble branches afforded. 

The tank in which the alligators are kept is a low 
marshy place. The number of these animals I should 
estimate at about eighty or one hundred; many of 
them are very large, and take them altogether they 
are very unprepossessing. The subjection in which 
they are kept by their keeper, an old priest or 


D 













34 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Peer , who lives at the shrine, is quite astonishing; 
immediately he called them, they assembled on the 
bank, where they remained till the carcass of a 
sheep or goat, which was generally presented by 
the visitors, was thrown among them. The celerity 
with which this donation was torn limb from limb, 
and then devoured, was quite remarkable. Where 
so many were to be fed, and so few could share, of 
course great exertions were made to secure a por¬ 
tion of the prey, the result of which was usually 
a contest between several of these horrible creatures, 
which generally ended by a sly looker-on walking 
off with the prize. 

It is curious to see, feeding in the midst, un¬ 
heeded and unmolested by the alligators, cows, 
donkeys, and goats of the neighbouring villages; 
and yet were one of those animals thrown among 
them it would be torn to pieces. It certainly seems 
as if they had not only a knowledge of, and respect 
for, the property of their own villages, but that they 
were perfectly aware of the presence of any strange 
animal; dogs which sometimes accompanied the 
pic-nic parties to this tank, were always watched by 
the alligators, and by them in numerous instances 
destroyed. 

Times were now sad and changed for the poor 
“ Muggers ” — for instead of receiving the almost 
universal homage to which they had hitherto been 
accustomed, scarcely a week passed without a pic¬ 
nic to the tank, and the favourite amusement was 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 35 

throwing bowling-knots over their heads, pulling 
them ashore, running them up to the tops of trees,— 
in fact, offering them every indignity that tormenting 
ingenuity could devise: this, as might be expected, 
sadly interfered with the discipline of their keeper, 
making them heedless of his summons to repair to 
the bank when they saw-a large concourse of spec¬ 
tators. The shrine, which is built on a rock close 
to the tank, is evidently a building of very recent 
date; there is no architectural beauty about it, 
and in this respect it contrasts disadvantageously 
with the tombs to which I have before referred. 

Gushing from the rock underneath the shrine, is 
a beautifully clear hot spring, the temperature of 
which is about 96°: the water, although having a 
strong sulphureous smell, possesses no disagreeable 
taste or property. At about one mile and a half 
from this is another hot spring, the temperature of 
which rises to 120°; its qualities appear the same as 
those of the spring at the shrine. I was astonished 
to see several natives bathing in the latter without, 
apparently, suffering the slightest inconvenience 
from the heat; I put my hand in, but was unable 
to keep it there many minutes. 

Of course both these springs are celebrated for 
the wonderful cures they perform ; there is no 
bodily ailment for which they do not prove an 
almost certain remedy; and if used on a stated day, 
they act infallibly, not only in removing all dis¬ 
eases, but also in preventing their recurrence. The 

d 2 






36 FOUR years’ service in the east 

proper day I never could learn, so I did not derive 
the promised benefit from the charm. 

The best of friends must part. The time for the 
departure of H. M. S. Wellesley at length arrived; 
we were sorry to bid adieu to its gallant officers, 
leaving a blank as they did in our society, — and 
that, too, in a place where all beside was desola¬ 
tion. 

Our horses were the only things that gained by 
their departure, as they, poor beasts, had double 
work to do, being always put in requisition to 
enable our friends to see the alligators’ tank before 
they sailed, and I hope for their sakes left these 
shores never to return. 

When we had been encamped for a few days, we 
were visited one morning with the severest squall, 
accompanied by the heaviest rain I ever remember 
to have witnessed. We were all in the mess-tent at 
breakfast at the time, and in an incredibly short 
period the water was flowing through it like a river; 
the rain came through both flys of the tent, as if 
they had not been thicker than a lady’s pocket- 
handkerchief; and but for our exertions in holding 
on by poles, ropes, &c., our canvas walls must 
have fallen on us. When it had passed, and we 
had time to look about us, the appearance pre¬ 
sented by the camp was ludicrously dismal. On all 
sides were to be seen fallen tents, masters and 
servants rushing indiscriminately about to recover 
books, papers, boots, shoes, &c., which were stream- 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


37 


ing through the camp. Such squalls we understood 
were not uncommon, so we took precautions in case 
of a repetition. 

Shortly after this, we received intelligence of a 
most distressing event, involving the death of three 
officers, which had occurred with Sir John Keane’s 
army. A party of officers had gone out shooting 
some distance from his Excellency’s camp, then 
near Jurhk. Some of the party, however, tired of 
the amusement, had returned, leaving three officers 
of the Queen’s Royals to pursue their sport. Shortly 
after, the jungle was observed to be on fire : no fears, 
however, at the time were entertained for the shoot¬ 
ing party; but at length their absence from the 
camp caused the most fearful apprehensions, which, 
alas! were too well founded. A party of irregular 
horse was sent in search early the following morn¬ 
ing, and after scouring the country, they at length 
came on the blackened corpses of the poor fel¬ 
lows. 

It was supposed that the jungle had been fired by 
a party of native sportsmen, in order to drive the 
game out of cover, and that the unfortunate vic¬ 
tims had not perceived their danger until they had 
become completely and hopelessly surrounded by 
the devouring element. Thus, by the most awful 
of deaths, were cut off in the spring-time of life 
three fine young officers, one of them a nephew of 
my much esteemed friend Major Hibbert; adding 
another to the many painful and forcible proofs of 















38 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the truth of that passage “ in the midst of life we 
are in death.” 

The month of February had now drawn to a 
close. During its passage much of interest had oc¬ 
curred; the reports from our advance were con¬ 
flicting, but those upon which we could place most 
reliance were satisfactory and cheering. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


39 


CHAPTER IV. 


Brigadier Valiant proceeds to Tatta.—Decides on its unfitness 
for a Cantonment.—Camels carried off.—Cholera breaks out in 
Camp.—Its Ravages.—Murder of Captain Hand.—Cholera con¬ 
tinues to rage.— Death of Colonel Powell and Lieutenant Mag- 
nay.—Night Attack. 

Tatta having been suggested as an eligible site 
for the cantonment for the head-quarters of the 
Scinde field-force, Brigadier Valiant, attended by 
some of the staff, proceeded to inspect that place, 
and judge of its fitness. From the inquiries he 
made as to the nature of the climate, he came 
to the conclusion that, however advantageous it 
might be in many respects as a station for troops, 
in point of healthiness, it would be worse than mad¬ 
ness to establish it as a cantonment. 

Our camels having arrived, it was found necessary 
to send them out some distance to forage. A guard 
furnished from the irregular horse attached to the 
force accompanied them, but it was unequal to the 
duty imposed on it. A party of Beloochees succeeded 
in carrying off several of our cattle: we were con¬ 
sequently obliged to increase our guard, and keep 
our camels nearer the camp. 





















40 FOUR years' service in the east 

Early in the month of March, we were roused 
from our monotonous and inactive life by the un¬ 
welcome appearance of cholera. There is an inex¬ 
plicable something attendant on this dreadful com¬ 
plaint,—whether arising from the painful and appal- 
ing suddenness of its nature, whereby, in a few short 
hours, the man of health becomes a lifeless corpse, 
or from the knowledge that it has hitherto baffled 
all the skill and talent of the most scientific and ex¬ 
perienced of the medical profession,—which strikes 
terror into the hearts of men who look calmly and 
resignedly on death in other shapes, and for a time 
prostrates the energies — nay, seems even to impair 
the faculties—of the strongest mind. 

During the prevalence of this malady, our camp 
resembled in character what one would suppose 
of a city infected with the plague; there appeared 
to be a feeling of dread even in holding communi¬ 
cation with one another, fearing to hear some fresh 
intelligence of the spread and havoc of this relent¬ 
less scourge. The breeze blew fresh off the sea, and 
the sun shone bright and clear above us, but yet 
there was a heavy torpid oppression in the atmo¬ 
sphere which weighed down the spirits, crushed every 
effort for physical exertion, and extending its in¬ 
fluence to the mind, blighted and withered as it 
rose every thought or impulse of enjoyment. 

The gloom thrown over the camp by the ravages 
of cholera was diversified by the following melancholy 
event. On the morning of the 20th of March, a 










WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


41 


report was brought into camp that two officers had 
been murdered a short distance from it. On inquiry 
it was found that this report was correct to a most 
lamentable extent. Captain Hand, an officer of the 
2nd Grenadiers, had gone out in the morning to 
take a walk; having reached the top of a lofty 
hill about a mile in front of the camp, which he had 
probably ascended for the purpose of obtaining a 
view of the country, he discovered in a dark ravine 
at its bottom, a number of men seated round a 
camp fire. Being an excellent linguist, and parti¬ 
cularly fond of conversing with the natives, it is sup¬ 
posed that he mistook them for some of the gypsies 
of the country, and went down to talk with them. 
The party, who in all likelihood had secreted them¬ 
selves with a view to making another attemjit on 
our cattle when grazing, became alarmed in case 
he should return to camp and give notice of their 
being in the neighbourhood, and determined on mur¬ 
dering him. As he approached, they rose ; but he, 
nothing doubting, moved on. A few of the gang now 
advanced, and when close on him drew their swords 
and cut him down. Walpole Clarke, a Lieutenant 
in the same regiment, who was on horseback, hap¬ 
pening to see Hand in the distance, rode in the 
direction for the purpose of joining him. On turn¬ 
ing the spur of the hill, he came on the party while 
they were perpetrating the foul deed. Impelled 
by the generous idea that he could save the life 
of his friend, he dashed his horse in among the 


















42 FOUR years’ service in the east 

ruffians; but seeing that poor Hand’s life had al¬ 
ready been sacrificed, and that he must himself 
be soon overpowered by the fearful odds against 
him—the party amounting to about forty— 

“-— He turn’d, and well he’d need, 

And dash’d the rowels in his steed.” 

He was destined, however, not to get off scath- 
less, for a well-directed shot from a matchlock took 
effect on his thigh. Notwithstanding this, he was 
enabled to gallop into camp; but, weak from pain 
and loss of blood, fell from his horse opposite the 
quarter-guard of H. M. 40th regiment, to whom he 
gave information of the sad event. 

Immediately on the truth of the report being 
known in camp, the first idea—the foremost de¬ 
sire— was to take the murderers dead or alive. 
Acting blindly on the impulse of the moment, 
however, the best intentions were frustrated ; for, 
instead of co-operating unanimously and on a fixed 
plan, officers quickly mounted their horses, and in 
small parties issued from the camp, scouring the 
country in all directions but the right one, as it 
afterwards proved. 

Fortunate it was, that we did not fall in with 
the marauders, as few of our parties consisted of 
more than four or five, and consequently they could 
not have made much impression on a well-armed, 
and reckless body, numbering at least eight times 
that strength. 






WITH II. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


43 


The light company of the 40th was ordered out, 
but too much time had elapsed since the com- 
mission of the murder. The local knowledge of 
the country possessed by the Beloochees likewise, 
and the facility and aptitude with which these 
savages can conceal their arms, and suddenly be¬ 
come poor shepherds , placed it beyond hope that 
they should be taken. After having, in company 
with Major Forbes of the 2nd Grenadiers, and 
Magnay and Irwin of the 40th, traversed a con¬ 
siderable portion of the country, we fell in with 
Brigadier Valiant, who had come out from camp 
accompanied by some of his staff, and a party of 
irregular horse. We continued our search perse- 
veringly, but finding it hopeless, determined on re¬ 
turning home. Brigadier Valiant ordered me to 
take one Suwar, and search for the light company, 
and order it into camp. This I proceeded to do; 
but I must confess, I have frequently felt happier 
when passing some most suspicious and cut-throat¬ 
looking ravines, than I did while engaged on this 
duty. The irregular horseman and myself, having 
none other to assist us in the event of coming 
suddenly on any hostile party,—and both our horses 
being knocked up from the day’s work, — I ques¬ 
tion whether we could have made even a respect¬ 
able running fight. I had, I may say, been in the 
saddle since four in the morning, at which time I 
had ridden down to the sea—a distance of three or 
four miles—to bathe, and had only returned to camp 



















44 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

a few minutes ere the alarm was given, when I 
instantly remounted. I was unsuccessful in my 
search for the light company, and hoping that they 
would reach the camp before me, I directed my 
steps thither, and arrived shortly after two p. m. 
Soon after, the company made its appearance, 
bringing with it a few prisoners, most suspicious- 
looking villains certainly, bat as no proof could be 
adduced of their having belonged to the party of 
which we were in pursuit, they were discharged. 

Meanwhile the cholera continued to rage : moving 
the camp and every alternative that could be suggest¬ 
ed, were resorted to, but all in vain; Death whirled 
on in his devastating career. Victim followed victim 
to the grave, and among those who fell were the 
youngest and finest of our men. 

In the list of those who w^ere thus suddenly sum¬ 
moned to their last account, were Colonel Powell, late 
commanding the 40th regiment, and Mr. Magnay 
of the same corps,—the former an old officer who 
had participated in the glories of the Peninsula, 
under the immortal Wellington, and had afterwards 
served with distinction in America. He had, on 
the morning of the 21st, received intimation of 
his removal from the 40th to the 6th Regiment. 
Having sent for me, he delivered to me his farewell 
order to his old regiment, expressive of his regret at 
leaving a corps to which from long and pleasing 
associations he was so much attached. During this 
interview there was a settled gloom on the veteran 



WITH II. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


45 


soldiers manner, which told me plainly that sorrow 
at leaving his old corps was not the only saddening 
thought that pressed on him. A presentiment (en¬ 
gendered by the contemplation of the melancholy 
events around him) that his mortal career was draw¬ 
ing to a close possessed his mind and imagination, 
and, exerting as ever a baneful influence in inciting 
disease, contributed to draw on his devoted head 
the stroke which he fain would have averted. In 
the afternoon he sent for Major Hibbert and my¬ 
self, to request we would witness his signature to 
his last will; he spoke then, much and feelingly, of 
the pleasure he had experienced while in command 
of the 40th, and assured Major Hibbert, who had 
succeeded him in the command, of the deep in¬ 
terest he should ever take in the welfare of the 
corps. Meantime, the cholera was gradually but 
securely wreathing itself round him ; he spoke of 
the future with the feeling of one who was assured 
that in this world there was no future for him; and 
in the air of abstraction that ever and anon stole 
over him, there was a something which seemed to 
say,— 

“ I, ere long, that precipice must tread 
Whence none return—that leads unto the dead.” 

In the evening the symptoms of cholera became 
worse, and early the following morning he passed 
“ that bourne from which no traveller returns.” 

The same morning, Mr. Magnay and myself 
returned from parade, and afterwards breakfasted 









46 FOUR years’ service in the east 

together; when this was over, I proceeded to the 
performance of my duties. About eleven, a.m., I 
was much shocked to hear that my young friend 
had been suddenly attacked with the prevalent com¬ 
plaint. Hoping that the report might be incorrect, 
I hastened over to his tent, where I found him 
lying on his couch. Not thinking, however,-—espe¬ 
cially as he appeared in excellent spirits,—that there 
was much wrong with him, I left him. In a few 
hours I heard that the symptoms had become most 
alarming; and on visiting him a second time, I found 
that his case was hopeless. Poor fellow! he was 
perfectly aware of the awful change awaiting him; 
he displayed the most unostentatious fortitude dur¬ 
ing his illness and severe sufferings : and who shall 
dare to blame him if, with a calm resignation to 
the will of the Lord and Giver of life, there should 
have mingled regret at departing from those plea¬ 
sant places in which his youthful and happy lot had 
been cast ? 

On the evening of the 23rd, the mortal remains 
of Colonel Powell were consigned to the grave, and 
on the following afternoon the same last tribute of 
respect was paid to my poor friend Magnay. 

During the 24tli we again moved the camp, in 
the hope that we might shake off the cholera; and 
towards the end of the month it departed from us 
as suddenly as it had appeared. 

A few nights after we had encamped on our new 
ground, firing was heard from the picquets on the 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


47 


left of the camp; the alarm being sounded, the 
whole force immediately turned out, and stood to 
their arms. Reports had been brought into camp 
during the day, that considerable parties of Beloo- 
cliees had been seen moving about on the hills, 
some distance from camp, and it was thought not 
improbable that they might attempt a night-attack. 
After remaining some time under arms, nothing 
further occurred for which it was at all likely our 
services would be required, and the corps were dis¬ 
missed and returned to their tents. 

The sentries who fired stated that they had seen 
a large party approach their posts; that no reply 
being given to their challenge, they fired into them, 
and the party retired. We never could learn any 
further particulars,—probably it was a ruse to ascer¬ 
tain the degree of alertness in a British camp at 
night, in order that they might plan accordingly, 
either for a general attack, or for petty attempts on 
property. The only satisfactory part of the whole 
business was the celerity with which the troops 
turned out, and the quiet, soldier-like manner in 
which they fell into their places on the rendezvous 
of their respective regiments. 






48 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER V. 

Orders to hut the Men. — Difficulty in procuring Wood. — 
Officers determine generally on living in’ Tents.—Dust Storms 
in Scinde.—Sickness of the Troops.—Rumours of War.— Ex¬ 
cessive Heat in May.—Death of Mr. Irwin. — Departure of 
Brigadier Valiant.—Setting in of the Monsoon.—Bad Con¬ 
struction of Pendalls.—Cause of Sickness.—Execution of Chaka 
Kalifa. — Storm and Capture of Ghuznee.—Sickness at Tatta. 

Early in tlie month of April, orders were re¬ 
ceived to commence preparations for hutting the 
men during the monsoon; and the Brigadier was 
busily employed in fixing on a spot of ground 
suitable for cantonments. Of course there was much 
diversity of opinion as to the most eligible site; but 
at length one was decided on, occupying a consider¬ 
able portion of our second encampment, — the front 
of the European cantonment facing the sea, the offE 
cers’ quarters, or rather the compounds in which it 
was intended the officers’ quarters should be built, 
being on a rising ground in rear of the men. For 
many reasons I did not coincide with the opinion 
of the judiciousness of this situation, and ventured 
to suggest that the front of cantonments should 
look inland, that the barracks should occupy the 
range of rising ground, and the officers’ compounds 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


49 


be marked out on the low ground between them and 
the sea. I failed, however, in persuading “ the pow¬ 
ers that were,” that my view was the correct one : 
there is, nevertheless, a degree of satisfaction in 
knowing that the plan of cantonments at Kurachee 
has lately been altered, and that the European 
barracks are now situated nearly, if not entirely, 
as I had proposed. 

When everything had been settled so far, a new 
difficulty arose, as to where the wood, &c. were to 
be procured for the erection of the pendalls. The 
most stringent orders were issued, prohibiting any 
one, on any pretence whatsoever, from cutting 
down trees or even entering the shikargahs of the 
iVmeers,—the almost only places where wood suit¬ 
able for our purposes could be obtained: the con¬ 
sequence was, timber had to be brought from 
a considerable distance, and our work progressed 
slowly. The hospitals were commenced first, but 
owing to the great scarcity of material, and the 
apparently numerous saints’ days in the Scindian 
calendar, all of which were most religiously kept 
as holidays, our buildings certainly did not rise 
as if by magic. 

The officers, receiving no allowance from Govern¬ 
ment for hutting themselves,—being assured, also, 
by the Scindians that the monsoon in this country 
was ever slight—and being quite uncertain as to 
how long they might remain in this place, came to 
the general determination to weather it in their 

E 















50 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

tents, which resolution, with but few exceptions, 
was carried into effect. 

One of the great sources of annoyance and pre¬ 
ventive, or rather destroyer, of comfort in Scinde, 
was the dust, which was so penetrating, that no 
measures we could adopt were sufficient for its ex¬ 
clusion ; so dense and continuous were those sand- 
clouds, that for hours together I have been unable 
to see the nearest tent, which was pitched at not 
more than ten or fifteen yards from me. The ther¬ 
mometer during the dust season always ranges 
high, and the excessive heat inducing what would 
be professionally termed a “ healthy moisture from 
the articular pores,” facilitates and encourages the 
adhesion of the dust to the face and form, adding 
neither to the comfort nor elegance of the person. 

To make everything the more unbearable, all 
reports concurred in the certainty of the 40th being 
stationed here for at least another year; and not 
even the most sanguine of us could apply the flat¬ 
tering unction to his soul, that there was a probabi¬ 
lity of our escaping further torment. I have never 
known any place so generally disliked as Kura- 
chee: I only trust, for the sake of those who may 
come after us, that it will improve. Assuredly, none 
of our associations with it were pleasing, and most 
were melancholy. As for myself I began to feel 
the influence of an unhealthy climate on my consti¬ 
tution, and was most desirous to re-establish my 
health by returning to— 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


51 


“-The dear, small world of home, 

A tiny paradise, from which our wishes never roam.” 

But the difficulty of achieving this was great; 
the desire of re-visiting England, and self-interest,— 
which dictated the propriety of my remaining, hold¬ 
ing out as an inducement that resistless allurement, 
promotion ,—struggled for the mastery; the latter 
asserted the superiority of its claim, and I can 
never be too thankful that I resolved to remain 
with my corps. 

To soothe us in our distresses, our Brigadier con¬ 
tinued to buoy us up with the hope that a regiment 
would certainly be sent to Deesa towards the end 
of the year. There is a pleasure in looking on the 
bright side of things, even when you feel convinced 
that it amounts to a species of castle-building in 
the air; for, although it was difficult from the then 
position of European corps to divine whence one 
was to spring to occupy Deesa, yet there was a 
consolation in indulging the hope, that at no dis¬ 
tant period we should have an opportunity of dis¬ 
posing of our landed properties in that part of the 
Indian empire. 

April passed and was succeeded by May, but 
not to us the 44 merry month of May,” for it brought 
no relief to vary the sameness of our existence, 
nor did it produce any improvement in the sana¬ 
tory condition of the troops. Fever and ague, with 
dysentery, had succeeded cholera; and although 
not so appallingly sudden in their attacks nor so 







52 FOUR years’ srrvice in the east 

fatal in their consequences, they had become so 
general as to increase to an alarming extent the 
number of our sick: indeed, during six years that I 
had served with my regiment abroad, I had never 
known it so unhealthy. 

We continued to receive satisfactory reports 
of the brilliant manner in which our advance was 
progressing: so astonished, in fact, were the Af¬ 
ghans with the rapidity of our movements, that it 
was confidently asserted that the Auckland policy 
would be carried out without a single shot being 
fired, except in the shape of royal salutes to com¬ 
memorate our folly in restoring the long but conve¬ 
niently neglected Shah Soojah to his empire. 

While peace was thus talked of in Affghanistan, 
we were not without wars and rumours of war in 
other parts of India; Birmah, Nepaul, and the Pun- 
jaub (the state of our old and faithful ally! !) each 
in its turn was held out as a sort of land of pro¬ 
mise, where England’s young army was to emulate 
the deeds of its predecessor. Runjeet Singh, it was 
said, had departed this life, and a state of fearful 
anarchy in the selection of his successor would, it 
was anticipated, follow the brilliant and successful 
reigns of “ one of the most extraordinary upstarts” 
recorded in history. 

As the season advanced, the heat increased in an 
excessive degree. On the 25th of May I was con¬ 
fined to my tent by a slight attack of fever, brought 
on by the great power of the sun. A young brother 







WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


53 


officer, Mr. Irwin, came in the forenoon to visit me. 
I remarked that he had no other protection for his 
head than one of our very small forage-caps, and 
remonstrating with him for going about in the heat 
of the day so ill protected, I endeavoured to point 
out to him the great risk he ran. I little thought 
then the danger was so imminent; the intensity of 
the heat, aided by the thoughtless exposure I have 
mentioned, brought on apoplexy, which carried him 
off the same evening. 

Brigadier Valiant having been appointed to the 
command of the garrison at Bombay, handed over 
the Scinde force to the next senior officer, Lieu¬ 
tenant-colonel Spiller, and sailed from Minhora on 
the 2nd of June, for the purpose of commencing 
the duties of his new command. 

The monsoon having now set in, all communi¬ 
cation by sea with Kurachee was cut off for some 
time; and the little pleasure we drew from the 
arrival of ships, and the variety contributed by the 
fresh appearance of troops and new faces, was for a 
time debarred us. 

Thrown on our own resources, cricket was re¬ 
vived, and a tolerably successful attempt to get 
up a few races being made, we were enabled in 
this way to occupy such time as was not devoted to 
our professional duties, or spent in more intellec¬ 
tual amusements. 

The rains were certainly not heavy,—mere pass¬ 
ing summer showers, compared to what I had seen 



54 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

in India, particularly in Bombay. They were, how¬ 
ever, more than welcome, had they done no more 
than lay the dust. There is an old adage, that 
every one during his life is doomed to eat a peck 
of dust; should it be a matter of consequence to 
achieve in a very short period what we are sup¬ 
posed, under ordinary circumstances, to take a life¬ 
time in performing, I would suggest a sejour at 
Kurachee for one dust season. 

The pendalls were at length finished, and occu¬ 
pied by the troops. They were, however, not only 
badly constructed, being too low and narrow, but 
the manner in which they were placed was highly 
objectionable. Being desirous that they should 
take up as little space as possible, as well from a 
misapprehension that, by opposing their front to the 
prevailing breeze, too great a draught for comfort 
would be caused, they were built end on the breeze; 
the consequence of which was, that while at one 
end of this long narrow building there was a strong 
current of air, there was at the other nothing but 
suffocation. This led to an indulgence in an inju¬ 
rious, but, I must admit, most pardonable practice, 
by many of the men,—of leaving their barrack- 
rooms at night, and sleeping in the open air. Many 
measures were resorted to to prevent this, and in¬ 
duce the men to abstain from such an indiscretion, 
but still the evil continued ; and certainly it is easy 
to understand the desire to escape from the stifling 
effects of a confined barrack-room in the tropics, 














WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


55 


to breathe a pure atmosphere, even should the 
present relief be attended with imminent risk. 

To this practice is much of the sickness from 
which the men then suffered to be ascribed; for in 
no place have I ever experienced anything to equal 
the heaviness of the dews at Kurachee. In the 
morning the tents which had remained pitched 
were as wet outside as if they had been exposed to 
a heavy shower. 

The idea of giving the men huts was of course to 
add to their comfort, and guard them against unne¬ 
cessary exposure. I am inclined to think they 
would have been more healthy in their tents, had 
the precaution been taken to raise platforms on 
which to pitch them sufficiently high to guard 
against the possibility of the rain flowing inside, and 
having a drain for each tent to carry the water off 
clear of the camp. The temperature in tents is more 
even, and the ventilation more easy. Indeed, with 
regard to the latter part, the facilities are so great, 
that there is nothing to prevent the walls being 
taken down once or twice a-week, or even oftener, 
if necessary. I conceive, by adopting this system, 
the troops would have better preserved their health 
than in the temporary buildings in which they were 
quartered at Kurachee, constructed as they were 
of green unseasoned wood and mud, which had not 
had time to dry before their occupation by the dif¬ 
ferent regiments. 

The principal actor in the murder of Captain 



56 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Hand, Chaka Kalifa, had been apprehended, and 
this month we had the satisfaction of hanging the 
scoundrel on the spot where he had perpetrated his 
atrocious crime. He was an infatuated priest, more 
distinguished for his enormities than his virtues. 
The feeling throughout- the country was, that we 
should not dare to put to death one holding his 
sacred office ; and the astonishment at our carrying 
our threat into execution was increased considerably 
by our hanging him, — a mode of execution con¬ 
sidered by the Mahommedans the most degrading 
and ignominious. Springing on the gibbet, Chaka 
coolly adjusted the rope round his neck, and, 
gazing calmly around him, seemed evidently to 
consider himself a martyr, who, by ridding the 
world of an unbeliever, had done God a service. 

In August we learned that the advance army had 
been repaid for all the hardships it had undergone, 
by the glorious storm and capture of Ghuznee. 
Regret, we all did, that we had not participated in 
its perils and honours, and in the arduous operations 
connected therewith. Regret, however, was un¬ 
availing ; and we lived in the hope that, ere long, 
an opportunity might be granted us of displaying 
our zeal and prowess in deeds of arms. 

A few days brought us the Government order, 
with the dispatch of his Excellency Sir John 
Keane, giving the particulars of the storm and caji- 
ture of Ghuznee. This latter document has fre¬ 
quently been challenged, on account of its extreme 









WITH H. M. TOTH REGIMENT. 


57 


prolixity and verbosity ; and the opening paragraph, 
at least,-—however flattering it may be to those who 
shared in the exploit,—must appear overcharged, 
emanating, as it did, from one who, during a service 
of forty-five years in every quarter of the globe, had 
shared in the glories of some of the most eventful 
and most brilliant feats of arms of this or any other 
age. 

The very sudden and extraordinary manner in 
which the fortress of Ghuznee had been captured, 
while it astonished and almost paralysed the A Af¬ 
ghans, had dashed to the ground any reasonable 
hope that the reserve might have entertained of 
being actively employed, notwithstanding a report 
which was most industriously circulated, that a force 
was to set out immediately from Kurachee to 
attack Khelat, the stronghold of Meerab Khan. 

Meanwhile the overflow of the Indus began to 
subside, and the waters gradually to disappear from 
the country near its banks, which had been inun¬ 
dated. The exhalation from the marshy plains pro¬ 
ducing, as is usual, fever of the most virulent de¬ 
scription, fully verified the worse predictions of those 
who had been inimical to Tatta being fixed upon as 
a site for cantonments. The list of mortality among 
the troops which were stationed at this place was 
something fearful. The 22nd and 26th Regiments, 
Bombay N. I., were indeed completely hors de com¬ 
bat; scarcely a man of either of these regiments 
escaped the influence of the malady. Indeed, when 







58 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the latter corps was brought (march it could not) 
to Kurachee from Tatta, whence it was abso¬ 
lutely necessary to withdraw it, it may, without 
exaggeration, be asserted, that the whole was in 
hospital, and so completely disorganized by sick¬ 
ness that it was evident a very large proportion of 
the men would never sufficiently recover to be 
enabled to continue their service as effective sol¬ 
diers. 









WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


59 


CHAPTER VI. 

Communication by Sea re-opened. — Capture of Kbelat.—Cholera 
at Sukkur. — Arrival in Camp of Officers from the Advance. 
— Officers ordered off on Court-martial Duty to Sukkur.— 
Queen’s Royal Regiment arrive in Camp.—Relieved from Duties 
of Adjutant.—Arrival of Lord Keane.—Presents New Colours 
to 40th Regiment.—Departure of Lord Keane.—Arrival of 
H. M. 17th Regiment.—-Departure of Queen’s Royals.—Wreck 
of the Transport “ Hannah.” 

In September our communication by sea was re¬ 
opened, and fresh detachments of troops destined to 
serve in this fearful climate continued to pour in. 
Brigadier F. Farquharson arrived from Bombay, 
and relieved Lieutenant-colonel Spiller from com¬ 
mand of the Scinde force. 

The great and exciting piece of intelligence re- 
ceived at this time, was the storm and capture, by 
the intrepid little band under General Wiltshire, of 
the fortress of Khelat, on the 13th of November,— 
one of the most dashing morning achievements ever 
performed, and certainly, for brilliancy of concep¬ 
tion and the gallantry displayed in its execution, 
second to no event in the Affghan campaign. 

The perils of this campaign as far as mortal foe 
was concerned, were now at an end, but many of 
those who had sustained its hardships and perils 

















60 FOUR years’ service in the east 

were destined never to return; cholera of a most 
malignant kind broke out at Sukkur, shortly after 
the return of the Bombay division, and caused 
severe loss, particularly in the lines of the 4th light 
dragoons, two of whose officers, Captain Ogle and 
Mr. Janvrin, fell victims. 

Towards the end of the year numbers of the 
Afghanistan heroes made their appearance in camp, 
en route to Bombay: of course they were much 
lionized , and their varied accounts of the stirring 
events of the campaign were listened to with the 
liveliest pleasure and interest. 

Early in February several of the officers of the 
Scinde force were ordered from Kurachee to 
Sukkur on that most unpleasant of all our duties 
— a court-martial. To render it still more dis¬ 
agreeable, the individual to be tried was an officer, 
and the charges against him were of a most serious 
character, affecting his reputation as a soldier in 
the most vital and vulnerable point. 

The 2nd (Queen's Royals) marched into camp 
this month, and encamped some distance in rear 
of the lines of the 40th. I went out to meet 
the regiment, to welcome back my friend and 
brother-adjutant Simmons, and congratulate him 
on his recovery from the wounds he had received 
at Ghuznee and Khelat,—at both of which places 
he had been distinguished for his bold and 
gallant bearing. I had not seen the Queen’s for 
upwards of six years, and was much struck with 










WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


61 


their fine steady soldier-like appearance. But for 
their honourable rags , they gave one the idea of a 
regiment fresh from the barrack-yard, rather than 
a corps returning from a long and arduous cam¬ 
paign. 

By the arrival of my friend Lieutenant F. White 
from England, I was relieved from the duties of 
Adjutant, which I most unwillingly resigned. 

On the 18th of February, his Excellency, now 
Lord Keane, arrived in camp. The following day 
he fixed upon for the presentation to the 40tli 
Regiment of a handsome stand of colours, the 
gift of our late distinguished Colonel, General Sir 
James Kempt. 

About four p. M., on the afternoon of the 19th, 
H. M. 40th Regiment being drawn up iii line, 
received with the usual honours his Excellency 
Lord Keane, who came on the ground attended 
by Prince Hyder Khan (Dhost Mahommed Khan’s 
son, who had been taken prisoner at Ghuznee), and 
a numerous staff. 

After his Lordship had received the salute, he 
proceeded to the right of the line, moved down 
the front, and made a most minute inspection of the 
corps; then, passing along the rear, returned to his 
place in front. Upon this the grenadiers, which I 
had the honour to command, having advanced a few 
paces, wheeled to the left and marched along the 
front of the line, preceded by the band playing 
“the British Grenadiers;” on reaching the centre of 





62 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the line they halted, and having opened their ranks 
received with presented arms the old colours, which 
were then conveyed by the guard of honour to 
the left of the line (the band playing as before), 
and there handed over, under a “ general salute,” 
to an escort formed a short distance in rear of the 
line. During the latter part of the ceremony, the 
remainder of the regiment formed three sides of 
a square, the bass drum was placed in the centre 
of the blank face, and the grenadiers which had 
returned formed in rear of the drum. 

The new colours having been placed on the drum, 
his Lordship, attended by his staff and all the officers 
in camp—among whom was the hero of Khelat— 
and accompanied by a number of ladies, entered the 
square. The ceremony of consecrating the colours 
having been performed in a heartily impressive 
manner by our much-respected chaplain the Rev. 
Mr. Burnell, they were handed over to Lord Keane, 
the guard of honour presenting arms. His Lord- 
ship now addressed the regiment, taking a review 
of its past services, and dwelling particularly on 
the Peninsula, where he himself had witnessed the 
acquisition of its brightest laurels. He expressed a 
regret, in which we all most cordially joined, that 
he had not had us with him in the late campaign; 
and his conviction that we only wanted the oppor¬ 
tunity of filling up the little space left in our colours, 
to add many more to the noble victories, with the 
names of which they were now so nearly covered. 














WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 63 

His Lordship, having concluded by complimenting 
the regiment on its fine, healthy, and business-like 
appearance, and expressing his hope that he would 
ere long meet it in that best of lands, “ Old Eng¬ 
land,” delivered the colours to Ensigns Russell and 
Vance, the senior Ensigns, the grenadiers again 
presenting arms. 

Major Hibbert, commanding the 40th, then, in 
behalf of the regiment, tendered his best thanks to 
Lord Keane for the honour he had done the corps 
in presenting the colours, and the flattering allu¬ 
sions he had made to its past services, assuring his 
Lordship, that should the time come when the ser¬ 
vices of the 40th would be required in the field, 
that the young 40th would be actuated by the same 
spirit that had distinguished the “ old and bold,” in 
by-gone days. The gallant major also expressed 
his gratitude to the Rev. Mr. Burnell for the 
very eloquent and impressive manner in which 
he had performed the sacred ceremony of conse¬ 
cration. 

The square was now reduced, and line re-formed ; 
the ranks were opened, and the guard of honour 
proceeded, attended by the band and new colours, 
to the left of the line, filing along the front in 
slow time. When the Ensigns, with the colours, 
reached the centre, they moved into their places, 
on which a royal salute was fired from a battery of 
nine-pounders, that had been drawn up in front 
and at right-angles to the 40tli, by a company of 





64 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Bombay artillery, under Captain Brett, who had 
expressed a wish, and had obtained the sanction 
of the authorities, to pay this compliment to 
H. M. 40th. 

The grenadiers having recovered their place in 
line, the whole regiment presented arms; ranks 
were then closed, and the battalion broke into open 
columns of divisions right in front, and marched 
past in review order. Thus ended the presenta¬ 
tion of colours to H. M. 40th regiment,—a ceremony 
perhaps the most imposing, impressive, and inter¬ 
esting a soldier can witness. 

I regret not being in possession of a copy of the 
addresses of his Lordship and the Rev. Mr. Burnell, 
and of the reply of Major Hibbert, the perusal of 
which would have conveyed to the reader, un¬ 
versed in such matters, a far better idea of the 
impressive nature of the ceremony than can be 
derived from my imperfect description. 

On the following day his Excellency embarked 
for Bombay, on board one of the Honourable Com¬ 
pany’s ships, which had been placed at his disposal 
by the Bombay Government. With his departure 
from Scinde may be said to have terminated the first 
Affghan campaign, and the first act connected with 
the extraordinary policy pursued towards that 
eountry. A peerage was awarded to the gallant 
chief of the army, and Government was profuse in 
bestowing honours on the persons who had dis¬ 
tinguished themselves in the campaign. The public 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


65 


mind was intoxicated with our military successes, 
the steady perseverance of our troops, bearing down 
in their triumphant advance every obstacle which 
the energy and ingenuity of an enterprising enemy, 
or the treachery of fictitious friends, could suggest. 
The extraordinary rapidity of their movements, and 
the dazzling splendour of their achievements, con¬ 
tributed for a time to conceal the iniquity, the 
impolicy, and the errors of our unholy aggression; 
—a popular monarch had been driven from his 
throne, and, in his stead, had been foisted on an un¬ 
willing people a detested and unprincipled tyrant. 
Our relations, diplomatic and hostile, had been 
greatly extended, while our power to maintain 
these relations with dignity had certainly not been 
increased, if indeed it were not weakened. 

The progress of Shah Soojah through his capitals 
was marked, it was said, by the most joyous wel¬ 
come of the inhabitants; but these acclamations, if 
neither constrained nor purchased, were as hollow, 
unmeaning, and evanescent as popular applause 
usually is ; for the dull sullen murmurings of insur¬ 
rection which already echoed through the land, 
gave evidence of the existence of a rooted feeling 
of disaffection in an insulted people,—prevented 
only by the presence of a foreign army from hurling 
from the throne one who had already been rejected 
as incapable of governing them. 

A few days after the departure of Lord Keane, 
H. M. 17th Regiment, a wing of the 4th Light 

F 









66 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Dragoons, and a troop of Horse Artillery, marched 
into camp. 

The Queen’s, having, fortunately for us, been 
ordered to proceed to Deesa, embarked from Kura- 
chee for Mandavie in country boats, and from thence 
marched to their new cantonment by the same route 
that the 40th had pursued in 1839. Our houses 
at Deesa were purchased by our friends of the 
Queen’s, and we were once more men without pro¬ 
perty. The 17th Regiment marched a few days 
afterward for Bombay, concluding their perils by land 
and flood with a shipwreck. The steady exemplary 
conduct of this regiment, when the “ Hannah,” in 
which they were, struck on a sand-bank off the 
Hujamree mouth of the Indus, and became a com¬ 
plete wreck, was worthy of universal admiration, 
and called forth the most marked approbation of 
Government. 

Gradually the horse-artillery and dragoons dis¬ 
appeared, and Kurachee relapsed into its former 
uninteresting state. The weather becoming ex¬ 
cessively hot, many of us procured leave, and went 
to Fort Minhora for the benefit of sea-bathing, and 
pure fresh air. Boating was the principal amuse¬ 
ment, and much enjoyment was derived from the 
excellent fishing. Turtle we got in numbers; but 
they were either of an inferior quality, or we under-' 
stood not the cunning art of properly preparing 
them for the table. While at Minhora, I received 
intimation that his Excellency the Commander-in- 























WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 67 

chief in India had been pleased to re-appoint me 
to the Adjutancy of the regiment,—vacant by the 
resignation of my friend Ferdinand White. Ac¬ 
cordingly I proceeded to Kurachee, and on the 1st 
of May received charge of the office, and recom¬ 
menced the performance of its duties. 



68 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER VII. 

State of Upper Scinde and Afghanistan.—Destruction of Lieu¬ 
tenant Walpole Clarke’s Detachment,.—Wing of the 40th 
detached to Upper Scinde.—Defeat of Major Clibborn at Nuf- 
foosk.—Fall of Khelat.—Head-Quarters of the 40th ordered 
to Upper Scinde.— Difficulty of procuring Camels:—Limited 
Number allowed to Troops.—40th and Artillery march for 
Sehwan.—Arrival of H. M. 41st at Kurachee.—Country between 
Kurachee and Sehwan.—Gorban Pass.—Misfortune to Cattle. 

The month of May set in with a more than usual 
degree of heat, the thermometer rising in tent to 
about 120° in the middle of the day. Our sufferings 
here were, however, a mere trifle compared to 
those of the force stationed at Sukkur. The offi¬ 
cers of the 40th, who had been absent on court- 
martial duty at that place, returned about this time, 
and described the heat there as positively terrific. 

Upper Scinde was now in a state of insurrection, 
and indeed over the whole of Affghanistan the 
spirit of revolt was spreading. A most disastrous 
event occurred this month in Upper Cutchee. Lieu¬ 
tenant Walpole Clarke, of the 2nd Bombay Grena¬ 
diers, who had so narrowly escaped with his life 
in his gallant, but fruitless, attempt to save Captain 
Hand in March, 1839, had shortly after that me¬ 
lancholy occurrence been appointed to a corps of 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 69 

Scinde irregular cavalry. Early in May he left the 
Fort of Khan, in charge of an escort of camels, ac¬ 
companied by a small body of infantry, and a de¬ 
tachment of his own corps. Having marched about 
twenty miles on his return to Sukkur, he directed 
a portion of the infantry,—with which his party had 
been strengthened, the more easily to enable him to 
get his escort clear of the passes,—to return to 
Khan, and ordered the remainder of his force to bi¬ 
vouac. While in this position, he was attacked by 
an overwhelming body of the Beloochees. Leaving 
his cavalry to protect the camels, he placed himself 
at the head of the infantry, and advanced to meet the 
enemy. Long and stubbornly was the contest main¬ 
tained ; but at length the gallant commander fell, 
the infantry were cut up to a man, and the cavalry, 
overpowered by the increasing numbers of the 
Beloochees, were obliged to retreat, leaving the 
enemy masters of the field, and in possession of 
the camels, stores, &c. Elated with their success, 
the Beloochees started in pursuit of the small party 
returning to Khan, and having come up to them, 
fell on them, leaving not one to carry back the tale 
of this serious disaster. 

During our long campaign in Scinde and Afgha¬ 
nistan, many a gallant soldier fell; but among the 
noble spirits that fled, there w^as not one more 
chivalrous and daring than Walpole Clarke. 

Scinde meanwhile continued in a most disturbed 
condition; the whole of the Upper Province was in 



70 FOUR years' service in the east 

a state of insurrection, and Nusser Khan at the 
head of a large force of Beloocliees was in the field. 
Early in July, a requisition was made by the politi¬ 
cal agent for H. M. 40th regiment, for service to 
Upper Scinde. The Brigadier at Kurachee, how¬ 
ever, declined complying with this request to the 
full extent, as it would have left Kurachee almost 
entirely unprotected. It was therefore arranged 
that only one half should for the present be moved, 
and the right wing, under Captain Boscawen, was or¬ 
dered to hold itself in readiness for this duty. On 
the 16th of July, two companies only, under Captain 
Stopford, embarked at Gizree Creek, for Gharra, 
en route to Tatta, sufficient boats to move the whole 
force not being procurable at that time. The heat 
to which this detachment was exposed, at the com¬ 
mencement of its march from Gharra to Tatta, was 
excessive ; and several cases of apoplexy occurred, 
three of wdiich, on the first day’s march, proved fatal. 
On the arrival of Captain Stopford’s detachment at 
Tatta, it embarked on board the Company’s steamers, 
and moved up the Indus to Sukkur. It being neces¬ 
sary to await the return of the steamers to Tatta, 
the remainder of the wing did not leave Ku¬ 
rachee till the 10th of August, on which day it 
embarked at Gizree Creek, following the same route 
as the detachment by which it had been preceded. 
I regretted much that the head-quarter wing had 
not been sent, and much more that the wings had 
been detached,—always considering, as I do, the 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, s 71 

separation of a regiment a fair subject for regret; 
unfortunately, it is too often necessary and unavoid¬ 
able. 

On his arrival at Tatta, Captain Boscawen found 
that the steamers would not alford sufficient accom¬ 
modation for the whole of the detachment; Cap¬ 
tain Adamson was therefore directed to assume 
the command of such portion as it was found ne¬ 
cessary to embark in the small river-boats. All at 
length reached their destination, and took up po¬ 
sition at Sukkur. On the passage up the river, 
Captain Boscawen, at the request of the political 
agent at Hyderabad, inspected the Luckee Pass, and 
found that the road which had been made by Lord 
Keane’s army was now entirely washed away, and 
that the route the corps d'armee had followed was 
no longer practicable. 

Towards the end of August occurred the dis¬ 
astrous defeat of Major Clibborn, at Nuffoosk,— 
in all its results a most painful and calamitous 
event, evidencing, as it did, gross ignorance of the 
country or a recklessness utterly indefensible in 
sending a detachment on a most difficult service, 
by a route almost impracticable,—not only impart¬ 
ing additional confidence to an already sufficiently 
active and determined enemy, but enriching them 
with our stores, arms, and ammunition, and tending 
to impress our native troops with an exaggerated 
opinion of the warlike qualities of the Beloochees. 

Khelat had now fallen, and it became necessary 








72 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

that it should be retaken. Numerous were the re¬ 
ports as to the destinations of different corps; seve¬ 
ral of the regiments in this country which expected 
to return to India, found, from the state of affairs in 
Scinde, that the corps which had come for the pur¬ 
pose of relieving them, could now be viewed only as 
reinforcements. Fresh troops were pouring in from 
all quarters, and most extensive operations were an¬ 
ticipated. Dhost Mahommed had appeared in force 
in the north of Affghanistan, and had already gained 
considerable advantages; while in Upper Scinde, 
Nusser Khan, with his lawless hordes, was de¬ 
vastating that unhappy province. 

The head-quarters of H. M. 40th Regiment re¬ 
ceived orders early in September to be in readiness 
to march to Sukkur on the 15th of October. On 
the 8th of October, we were reinforced by a strong 
detachment of recruits amounting to about two- 
hundred ; and a few days after, Mr. Talbot of FI. M. 
13th Light Infantry, and a few men from that 
regiment, landed at Kurachee, and were attached to 
the 40th. 

The only camels procurable, we obtained at 
Soomneamnee ; they were of a most inferior de¬ 
scription and unequal to carry much more than 
half the load usually placed on this animal. Not¬ 
withstanding this, no increase was made to the 
number of camels furnished ; the consequence of 
which was that the men had to travel with very 
reduced kits, and were unable to take with them 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


78 


their bedding, which was put into store until an 
opportunity should offer for sending it after the 
regiment, when it was known where it would event¬ 
ually be stationed. Among other annoyances, we 
experienced the greatest difficulty in getting camel- 
men, and the few we did procure were utter bar¬ 
barians and in no way to be depended on. 

By the 16th, all was declared ready for a start, 
and on the morning of the 18th of October, we 
marched from Kurachee eii route for Larkhana,— 
where report said we were to be joined by General 
Brooks and some more troops, — thence to proceed 
through the Gundava Pass to Khelat. This pass it 
was arranged should be occupied by the 25tli Bom¬ 
bay Regiment, which had moved up the country a 
short time before, under Colonel Marshall. 

Our small force consisted of head-quarter H. M. 
40th Regiment, a company of European artil¬ 
lery without their guns, under Lieutenant Sealy, 
and a small detachment of H. M. 18th Light In¬ 
fantry, under Ensign Talbot, the whole commanded 
by Major Hibbert of the 40th. The route as far as 
Sehwan having never been traversed by troops 
before, a greater degree of interest was attached to 
that comparatively unexplored part of the country, 
especially as our commander was required to make 
a report on its resources, and how far it would be 
practicable or advisable to send large detachments 
by this route for the future. 

As our rear guard left cantonments, a Company’s 




74 FOUR YEARS' SERVICE IN THE EAST 

steamer entered the harbour, having on board H.M. 
41st Regiment; this was an entirely accidental cir¬ 
cumstance, but was not without its effect in giving 
the natives of the country a great opinion of our 
resources, and admirable arrangement. Our first 
march was to Doozan, a halting-place for Caffillas, 
a distance of about ten miles over an extensive, 
uncultivated, and uninteresting plain. The heat 
was most oppressive, and tended greatly to increase 
the number of our sick, — so great a portion of our 
men being recruits, not only uninured to the cli¬ 
mate, but having only landed a few days before 
from on board ship, where they had been shut up 
four or five months on their passage from England. 
Owing to the badness of the camels, and the mal- 
arrangements of the commissariat, our equipage 
and stores did not come into camp until late in 
the afternoon; and when the latter did arrive, there 
was no fuel of any description to enable the men 
to set about their cooking, — rather a bad begin¬ 
ning for our march. Considering that we were dis¬ 
tant only ten miles from a cantonment that we 
had occupied for nearly two years, the fact of 
the total want of wood or any other fuel at this 
place, and the scarcity and excessive brackishness 
of the water, ought to have been known to the 
Quartermaster-general's department. On the 19th 
we were compelled to halt, but having replaced 
some of the camels which had already given in, we 
resumed our march on the morning of the 20th to 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 75 

Peeprie. Owing to the intense heat, we deemed it 
expedient to convert our night into day, and deter¬ 
mined on marching for the future every morning at 
two o’clock,—a system, by adopting which we were 
more likely to preserve the health of the men, 
but which was certainly a most tiresome and unpro¬ 
fitable manner of travelling. The country through 
which we passed the second day was more rugged, 
and the long range of the Halla Mountains on 
our left contributed to improve its general ap¬ 
pearance. We encountered a few nullahs, which 
would have presented considerable obstacles to the 
passage of guns, cavalry, &c., though a very little 
pioneering would have rendered them thoroughly 
practicable. Our encamping-ground was good and 
extensive, water excellent and abundant. No sup¬ 
plies, however, of any sort were to be procured. A 
short distance from our camp was a small hill-fort, 
nearly in ruins; there lived a few shepherds, and 
round it were some fine trees, but no traces of cul¬ 
tivation appeared. 

To day, October 20, we heard that our right wing 
had likewise taken the field, and that they were in 
expectation of meeting the enemy on the 18th. 
The arrival of the overland mail brought us intelli¬ 
gence of the promotion of my friends Boscawen and 
White. The current rumour of the day was, that 
we should be obliged to move on and take the Gun- 
dava Pass,—a service which it was intended should 
have been performed by Colonel Marshall, with the 




76 FOUR years’ service in the east 

25th Regiment. He, however, finding that his 
camels were failing him, had fallen back on Seli- 
wan, whence embarking his men in river boats, he 
proceeded up the river to Sukkur. 

On the 21st, we continued our march, entering 
the Gorban Pass, the country about which was very 
picturesque and grand, though barren ; but the Pass 
itself was not one of any great strength, and could 
easily be turned. Our halting-ground to-day was 
on the banks of the dry bed of a river; the encamp¬ 
ing ground was good and extensive, and water was 
procurable in large quantities and of very good 
quality, by digging in the bed of the river to a 
depth of one or two feet. The grazing for our bag¬ 
gage-cattle, too, was excellent, and no difficulty was 
experienced in procuring good forage for our 
horses. No supplies of grain were, however, obtain¬ 
able ; the country around was thoroughly unculti¬ 
vated—there was not a trace of its being inhabited, 
no human being moving about, and not even cattle 
or sheep to be seen feeding on the hills to give an 
air of life to the scene around. 

The weather had become rather cooler, but still 
it was most oppressive, and our young soldiers suf¬ 
fered much; our cattle, also, were now completely 
exhausted. The distance of this day’s march was 
only about twelve miles, but several of our camels 
were unable to bring their loads into camp. The 
officer of the rear-guard sent in to report that unless 
some of the camels which had already reached the 



WITH II. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


77 


camp, returned to assist in bringing up the baggage, 
he should be obliged to abandon a great portion of 
it. We were compelled, consequently, to send out 
our already over-worked cattle; and the rear-guard 
to-day did not arrive in camp until about four p.m., 
having been nearly fourteen hours in traversing a 
distance of twelve miles, over a country not at all 
difficult for camels. On the 22nd of October, we 
were forced to halt and rest our cattle. A dispatch 
was sent off to Major Outram, the political agent at 
Hyderabad, representing our crippled state, in the 
hope that he would be able to give us some assist¬ 
ance. On the 23rd we marched to Trak, about 
sixteen miles, the country still continuing to dis¬ 
play the same desolate, rugged, uncultivated, and 
uninhabited character it had presented since the 
commencement of our march. An extensive Ma- 
homedan burying-ground, close to our camp, alone 
gave evidence that the country was, or once had 
been, peopled. 

Our misfortunes increased as we went on, and 
the last blow seemed now to have been struck at 
the efficiency of our camels. Quantities of oleander 
bushes flourished in the neighbourhood of the camp, 
and many of our cattle fed eagerly on them: unfor¬ 
tunately for us, this shrub turned out a most pow¬ 
erful poison; several of our camels died from eat¬ 
ing it, and many were rendered for a long time in¬ 
capable of service. 

Water was rather scarce at Trak, but what we 





78 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

did get was of excellent quality. Notwithstanding 
our crippled state, we struggled on to Duxnmuj on 
the 24th, a distance of about ten miles. We had 
anticipated that a considerable quantity of our bag¬ 
gage would be left behind, and were agreeably sur¬ 
prised to find that the greater part of it reached 
the camp, although it was certainly late before it all 
came in. Two of my camels died from the effects 
of poison; owing, however, to the kindness of my 
friend Thomas Nelson, who had charge of the com¬ 
missariat, my kit all came up on one of his spare 
camels. Dummuj was the first village we had seen 
since leaving Kurachee : it was composed of a few 
miserable huts, built of matting; there was no cul¬ 
tivation about the place ; the inhabitants were 
shepherds, but on our approach had driven their 
flocks some distance into the hills, having probably 
formed no very high estimate of our character for 
honesty. We could not procure supplies of any 
kind here; there were two banyan-shops, but they 
contained only sufficient to satisfy the wants of the 
villagers. Shortly after we had encamped, the chief 
man of the village, accompanied by several others, 
visited us: the former was one of the finest old men 
I ever saw; his beautifully regular features and 
splendid white beard gave him a most patriarchal 
and venerable appearance. He was not without va¬ 
nity, and to judge from the satisfaction heevinced in 
regarding himself in a small looking-glass, presented 
to him by Major Hibbert, it was evident he was 



WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


79 


fully aware that he had no slight claims to be con¬ 
sidered handsome. The old gentleman was parti¬ 
cularly civil, and sent us a present of some new 
milk and fresh eggs, both of wdiich were very 
acceptable. Water was scarce, there being only 
one well; it was consequently a tedious operation 
—watering our baggage and other cattle. 

Here I was fortunate in being able to hire two 
camels to replace those I had lost. I could not 
persuade the owner to go further than Sell wan; but 
even this piece of good fortune was more than I 
had expected, having made up my mind that I 
should be obliged to leave behind me the grain 
which, from suspicion of the poverty of the country, 
I had luckily taken the precaution to bring with 
me for my horses. On the 25th we continued our 
march to Marraie, another small village similar to 
that of Dummuj. 

Having been unable to procure any supplies since 
leaving Kurachee, our stores were beginning to get 
very low. On approaching our ground, I was rather 
amused to see our Commissary driving before him a 
large herd of milch cows. His request to the vil¬ 
lagers for sheep had been most pertinaciously re¬ 
fused, and he had adopted this system to frighten 
them into a compliance with his demands. There 
was a marked difference in the bearing towards us of 
the lords of the soil here, and that of our friends at 
Dummuj. The former were most anxious to get us 
out of their vicinity on any terms; and even went so 








80 FOUR years’ service in the east 

far as to say, that there was only one very small 
well near the village, from which it would be impos¬ 
sible to supply the wants of all our force, adding 
a suggestion that we should continue our march for 
about three miles further, where we should obtain a 
plentiful supply. We had already marched up¬ 
wards of sixteen miles, and did not feel inclined to 
extend our morning’s walk, and moreover w T e were 
not at all disposed to take for gospel all that we were 
told in this country. A little searching proved that 
we were correct in our surmises; for, at a short dis¬ 
tance from the village, we observed several spots 
where the earth had apparently been lately dis¬ 
turbed, and on continuing our scrutiny, found three 
or four wells which had been carefully filled up 
with sand and bushes. After a little working with 
fatigue parties the wells were cleared, and afforded 
us as much water as we required. We made spe¬ 
cial report of the insolence of the villagers to the 
political agent, with a view to his laying it before 
the Ameers, and no doubt the chief man of Mar- 
raie received the thanks of their Highnesses for his 
friendly conduct to their allies. 

On the 26th, we resumed our march to Dooba, 
and continued advancing every day until the 30th, 
when we came to another village, Choula. From 
this Major Hibbert and Mr. Nelson went on in 
advance to Sehwmi, in order to make arrangements 
to facilitate our moving on as quickly as possible to 
Larkhana. 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


81 


In the evening a few of our young men went out 
to ride, and succeeded in losing their way; it was 
very late before they returned to camp. I confess 
I was becoming most anxious about them, knowing 
well the very questionable terms of affection on 
which we were with the natives. 

On the 31st we marched into Sehwan, our bag¬ 
gage-cattle quite exhausted, notwithstanding it had 
occupied us fourteen days in accomplishing a march 
of about one hundred and forty miles. The coun¬ 
try through which we passed was certainly trying 
for the cattle ; the supply of forage, generally speak¬ 
ing, was limited and bad; in most places the water 
was not only scarce, but difficult to be got at;— 
frequently, doubtless, many of the numerous cattle 
in our train were but scantily supplied with this 
vital necessary, and often probably not at all,— 
added to which, at several of the halting-places it 
was exceedingly brackish. 

The country between Kurachee and Sehwan is 
altogether uncultivated,—in many places, indeed, 
incapable of cultivation, and, with the exception of 
Dummuj and Marraie, uninhabited. Supplies of 
the most common description are unprocurable; and 
any force marching through this territory in its pre¬ 
sent state, would be dependent entirely on its own 
resources. 


G 




82 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER VIII. 

Sell wan.—Its Scenery, Position, and Principal Buildings.—The 
Castle of Sehwan.—Right Wing of 40th engaged at Cunda.— 
Dadur relieved by Major Boscawen.—Escape of Nussur Khan. 
—Murder of Lieutenant Loveday.—Artillery and Heavy Bag¬ 
gage proceed by River to Larkhana.—40th cross the Arul.— 
Country between Sehwan and Larkhana.—Arrival at Larkhana. 
Description of Larkhana.—-Lieutenant Sealy with Artillery 
rejoins Detachment.—March to Sukkur.—Arrival there.—De¬ 
feat of Dhost Mahommed. 

The approach to Sehwan was through a grove of 
beautiful tamarind and palm trees, near which, and 
on the south side of the city, our encampment was 
situated. 

The city is built on a rising ground, on the banks 
of the river Arul, and is distant about two or three 
miles from the mighty and classic Indus, of which 
we got our first view on October the 31st. Sehwan 
is larger than Kurachee, but, from the deserted ap¬ 
pearance of many quarters of the town, I should 
say it did not possess so large a population : the 
greater majority of the inhabitants I saw appeared 
to be Hindoos. 

In its neighbourhood are numerous very fine 
mosques and tombs, and within the city is a re¬ 
markably splendid musjid, erected in honour of the 
celebrated Mahommedan saint, Lai Shah Beg. 















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


83 


The object, however, of greatest note here is the 
old Castle of Sehwan, which, although now in ruins, 
is sufficiently perfect to attest its former strength. 
The inspection of this extensive and venerable pile, 
with its still numerous arches, cells, and passages, 
compensates fully for the time and trouble it re¬ 
quires; calling up, as it does, a host of associa¬ 
tions connected with the progress of Alexander the 
Great through this country, to which his deeds 
have added an imperishable interest. 

This castle is generally conjectured to be coeval 
with the time of Alexander the Great; indeed, the 
following extract from such an authority as Burnes 
goes far to confirm this supposition :—“ The old 
castle of Sehwan, the erection of which is attributed 
to Alexander the Great, is perhaps the only veritable 
relict of the age of the Greeks which can be traced 
in Scinde; and coins have lately been found in it, 
which, when submitted to the careful inspection of 
Mr. Princep, will probably attest its high antiquity. 
It is built on a mound of earth, nearly eighty feet 
in height, fifteen hundred long, and eight hundred 
broad, intersected by subterraneous passages.” 

While at Sehwan, we received letters from our 
right wing, mentioning that the force under Major 
Boscawen, of which it formed part, had been slightly 
engaged near Cunda, in Upper Scinde, on the 18th 
of October, when they had cut up a number of the 
enemy, sustaining little or no loss themselves. 

Subsequently, in consequence of Dadur being 



84 FOUR years’ service in the east 

threatened by Nusser Khan, Major Boscawen with 
his small detachment moved on that place, and 
reached it on the morning of the 30th of October. 
Unfortunately, on its arrival, the Political had not 
correct information of the movements of the Khan, 
(no very unusual circumstance,) and had but little 
idea that his Highness was close upon him. Never 
dreaming that their services would be required, the 
men were dismissed, and were busily engaged in 
pitching their tents, when, to the surprise and disgust 
of all, intelligence was brought in that Nusser Khan, 
with a large force, was actually encamped within one 
or two miles of the fort, and had been there some 
days. Orders were instantly given for the troops 
to fall in, and advance on the enemy. It was, how¬ 
ever, too late; for his Highness, now apprized of 
the proximity of this detachment, which, it would ap¬ 
pear, had come on him as unexpectedly as the news 
of his Highness being so near had on the Political , 
had commenced his retreat, and, long before Major 
Boscawen could get near his camp, had fled. The 
gallant Major and his little band were thus de¬ 
prived of a very excellent chance of securing his 
Highness, and effectually crushing any further at¬ 
tempt at disturbance in the country. 

A few camels, tents, &c., fell into our hands ; but 
the regret at having lost this opportunity of bring¬ 
ing the young chief to action was heightened when, 
on entering his camp, our troops found the mangled 
body of Lieutenant Loveday. This young officer 




















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


85 


had been Political Agent at Khelat; on its fall he 
was taken prisoner, and, during his captivity, was 
treated with the greatest barbarity. When Nusser 
Khan went on any of his expeditions, Loveday was 
invariably taken with him, being carried about in a 
kajavah, (a sort of chair, placed like a pannier 
on either side of a camel,) to which he was chained, 
exposed to the burning heat of the climate, and 
almost entirely divested of clothing. When he 
was found, his head was nearly severed from the 
trunk, which was yet warm, and the galling chain 
had struck into, and grated on, his weak and ema¬ 
ciated body. Poor fellow! it was hard to die, 
when imagination must have been whispering hopes 
of future enjoyment, and a speedy restoration to his 
friends and countrymen,—and yet death must have 
been a release. 

Continual marching is most wearisome; we 
were therefore not at all sorry to find that it re¬ 
quired a few days to make arrangements for our 
future movements, and that we should thus have 
an opportunity of resting ourselves, and remodelling 
our kits to meet the capabilities of our baggage- 
cattle. Finding it impossible to get any addition 
to our camels, it was determined that the company 
of artillery under Lieutenant Sealy should embark 
here, and move up the river to Larkhana, taking 
with them the heavy baggage,—the remainder of 
the detachment crossing the Arul close to Sehwan, 
and moving direct on Larkhana, 

















86 FOUR years’ service in the east 

The stream here is sluggish, but rather deep, and 
the bottom is composed of slippery and tenacious 
mud ; the breadth of the stream, at this time, was 
from thirty to forty yards. To guard against delay, 
and prevent as much as possible any injury befall¬ 
ing the camels, an attempt was made by a few of 
the scientific men of the force, among whom I in¬ 
clude myself, to construct a bridge of boats. I am 
constrained to admit that we failed in our laudable 
exertions for the good of the service ; but at the 
same time, in justice to myself and fellow-labourers, 
I must remark that, had the promises of procuring 
boats made by our native agent, who had come 
from Hyderabad, been fulfilled, not only would our 
endeavours have been crowned with success, but 
the passage of the river Arul would have occupied 
about one-fourth of the time it did, and many a 
camel which was rendered unserviceable by sticking 
in the mud, slipping, and straining itself in its at¬ 
tempts at extrication, would have been preserved. 
They are most helpless animals in deep water;—it 
is, I believe, a fact in natural history, that they can¬ 
not swim; and when the stream is deep, and the bed 
muddy and slippery, as was the case in this instance, 
they become perfectly paralysed by terror, and with 
difficulty can be induced to move. Several of our 
camels occupied nearly a whole day and night in 
crossing the Arul. 

The best method of getting camels across a river 
when boats cannot be procured, and which we 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


87 


adopted at length with success, is by tying their 
legs together and floating them over on their sides. 

On the 6th of November, the artillery embarked 
and proceeded en route to Larkhana, and on the same 
evening all our cattle and baggage were on the left 
bank of the Arul; on the 7th we halted to recruit 
the camels, after their exertions in fording the 
river; and on the morning of the 8th we again re¬ 
sumed our march, moving on Tartee, a distance of 
about nine or ten miles. Here we encamped on the 
banks of a beautiful and extensive lake, very pret¬ 
tily, though not finely, wooded. There was a boat 
on it, into which some of our party got, in the hope 
of having some wild-fowl shooting, but they were 
not repaid for their trouble, not even seeing any. 

The country through which we now passed was 
most extensively cultivated, affording a pleasing 
contrast to the wild barren hills we had left behind. 
The finest crops of Kirbee I have ever seen, were 
in the fields around Tartee, and our horses and 
cattle revelled in the delightful change afforded 
them. 

From our camels being so much less heavily 
laden, we were enabled to move along more quickly 
than we could at the commencement of our march, 
—added to which, water was always to be obtained 
in abundance, and we had now the means of feed¬ 
ing the camels in a manner that enabled them to 
perform their work. The only difficulty now expe¬ 
rienced was on account of the many irrigation canals 









88 FOUR years’ service in the east 

over which we had to pass; the bridges being nar¬ 
row and few, our baggage was much delayed. The 
detention was greatly increased, and the difficulties 
much augmented by our servants and the camel- 
drivers, who, in their obstinate anxiety to get 
quickly on, persisted in crowding and pushing one 
another. Not the least provoking part of this emu¬ 
lation to get first over the bridges was, that camels, 
loads and all, were often precipitated into the canal, 
where, of course, everything became well saturated 
with mud and water, or more frequently altogether 
lost. 

Our line of march was most tortuous; frequently 
we moved for miles along the banks of the mighty 
Indus, then entering a dense forest of baubul and 
mangrove, would leave the river, and lose sight of 
it altogether for some days. 

The natives at the different villages through 
which we passed, were very civil and obliging; the 
country, as we neared Larkhana, was neither so 
rich, nor so well and extensively cultivated, as in 
the neighbourhood of Sell wan. With the excep¬ 
tion of the lake at Tartee, and the variety afforded 
by occasional glimpses of the Indus, there is nothing 
beautiful or interesting in the march from Sehwan, 
the country generally being flat and monotonous. 

On the 16th we marched into Larkhana.* Here 

* “ Beyond Sehwan is the large town of Larkhana, containing 
about five thousand inhabitants, the capital of one of the most 
fertile districts in Sindh, being that watered by the Indus, and 


























WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


89 


we were delighted to find awaiting us a fresh supply 
of camels, which had been sent out from Sukkur, 
in consequence of our representation of the wretched 
plight in which we were. The General at Sukkur 
was very anxious for our arrival: the accounts from 
the north were represented as most unsatisfactory; 
and Nusser Khan, who was still at large, kept our 
troops continually employed and moving about. 

The commissariat having to make a few arrange¬ 
ments connected with the camels, it was decided 
that we should halt here until the arrival of Lieu¬ 
tenant Sealy, with his company of artillery, and 
the heavy baggage. 

Larkhana is a fine eastern town, cleaner than any 
I have seen in Scinde,—indeed, I might say in India. 
Its extent and population seemed greater than that 
of Sehwan. Previous to encamping we crossed the 
great Larkhana canal, the bed of which is very deep 
and wide; during our stay here it was perfectly 
dry. Near our camp were some singularly fine palm- 
trees, and in the vicinity several extensive and very 
well arranged gardens and orchards, containing nu¬ 
merous mango, plantain, orange and lime trees, &c. 
This, however, was not the fruit season, so we did 

the large branch called the Narrah, before mentioned : it throws 
off below Sukkur. Larkhana, like most of the towns in Sindh, 
presents a miserable and dilapidated appearance, though it bears 
evident marks of having been at one time a place of considerable 
size and importance ; a large canal from the river affords means 
of water communication during the floods .”—Postanss Sinclh , 
p. 29. * 



90 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

not benefit to the full extent from the gardens. 
The walls of the fort are of mud, and appeared in 
tolerably good repair. In the city was a fine 
mosque, near which, in a large cage made of staves 
driven into the ground, covered over with a slight 
roofing of matting, was a magnificent tigress, to 
which the natives attached the attribute of immor¬ 
tality. This wild tenant of the forest appeared 
perfectly satisfied with its position,—indeed, if it 
had been anxious to visit the depths of the jungles, 
one good leap would, I should think, have razed 
its rickety prison with the ground. 

On the evening of the 19th Lieutenant Sealy, with 
his detachment, made his appearance; and having 
on the 21st, again set out on our travels, we reached 
Sukkur on the morning of the 25th. The coun¬ 
try between Larkliana and Sukkur, is not so rich 
or well cultivated as that near the Arul; on its left 
bank, there is also a greater extent of jungle. We 
found, however, supplies of grain, forage, &c., in 
sufficient quantities for a much larger force than 
ours, and at a very moderate rate. The natives 
were civil, with the exception of those at one vil¬ 
lage, who were unwilling to provide us with any¬ 
thing; indeed, one old scoundrel ordered some of 
us out of the village, threatening, in case of refusal, 
to send Dhost Mahommed after us. From this we 
inferred, that accounts must have reached them 
of further successes on the part of this unfortunate, 
dishonoured, and most ill-used prince. 



















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


91 


Captain Delhoste, Quartermaster-general, came 
out on the morning of the 25th to meet our force, 
and direct us to our position in camp at Sukkur : 
from him we learned the very unexpected intelli¬ 
gence of the defeat of Dhost Mahommed by Bri¬ 
gadier Dennie at Bamean, and his subsequent sur¬ 
render to the envoy at Cabul. These events had, 
of course, dispelled for the present all our hopes of 
active employment in A Afghanistan ; for the now 
blasted fortunes of our fallen but noble enemy, 
and the fact of his being a prisoner would, it was 
asserted, be the means of restoring peace to Af¬ 
ghanistan,—“ of tranquillizing the spirit of insurrec¬ 
tion which was rife in various parts of the country, 
and of effectually destroying all influence Dhost 
Mahommed might have hoped to create ; and—by 
establishing Shah Soojah securely on the throne, 
and insuring the extensive exercise of his power, 
— of removing all the encouragement afforded to 
dangerous intrigues, by the division of Afghanis¬ 
tan into weak and disunited chiefships.”* 

The defeat of the Dhost was as fortunate as it was 
unlooked for. It was then regarded as one of the 
most auspicious events which had happened since 
the commencement of our unjustifiable hostilities 
in Afghanistan. 

Defeat, disaster, and disgrace were impending 
and seemed inevitable ; but by the surrender of the 
Dhost, and the circumstances leading to it, these 

* Affgkan Papers. 








92 FOUR years’ service in the east 

misfortunes had been averted, and India resounded 
with acclamations and rejoicings ; and yet the evils 
and calamities by which, at no very distant period, 
we were to be overwhelmed, had only been post¬ 
poned. 

Since our departure from Sehwan our men had 
become most sickly, owing entirely to the almost 
complete want of bedding, and our being obliged 
frequently to encamp near the Indus on ground 
which had been but a few weeks before inundated 
by that river, and which, of course, was still damp 
and unwholesome. We lost several of our men on 
the march from Sehwan, and, on entering Sukkur 
had a large proportion in hospital. 













WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


93 


CHAPTER IX. 

Sukkur.—Defeat of Nussur Khan by Colonel Marshall. — Clib- 
born Commission.—Rumours of Extended Operations.—March 
of Army under General Brooks from Sukkur.—Shikarpoor.— 
Hawking. — H. M. 41st and Artillery directed to return to 
Sukkur.—Desert March.—Attempt at Hog Hunting.—Right 
Wing of H. M. 40th rejoins Head-Quarters.—The Scinde Boil. 

On our arrival at Sukkur,* we found it filled with 
troops. We occupied the same ground on which 
our right wing had encamped during their stay 
here. It was the best and coolest about Sukkur, 
and prettily situated on the banks of the river 
opposite the curious old fort of Bukkur. The day 
after our arrival I had the honour of paying my 
respects to the General commanding the forces. 

* “ In the centre of the stream, nearly opposite Rori, is the 
celebrated fort of Bukkur, and on the western bank Sukkur, now 
designated ‘Victoria on the Indus.’ The latter is the site of a 
British cantonment, and being situated on an elevated spot over¬ 
looking and commanding the passage of the stream, is in every 
way advantageous for the purpose required ; these are important 
points in Sindh, and on the river,—whose scenery, by the way, at 
this particular part assumes the most picturesque appearance. 
There are few finer views in the world, perhaps, than that of the 
mighty Indus at this part of its course. The eastern bank is 
clothed with beautiful gardens (celebrated by Persian poets as 
those of Buburlu) of date, acacia, pomegranate, and other trees. 



94 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


The grand military event of the day was the 
defeat, by Colonel Marshall, of Nusser Khan, at 
Kotra. Our victory on this occasion seemed to have 
been most decisive, and had evidently completely 
blasted any hopes the young Khan and his party 
might have ever entertained of being able to 
grapple with a British force. His followers had 
dispersed, and throughout the country the feeling 
seemed to be, that His Highness’s cause was now 
hopelessly lost. The dispatch of Colonel Marshall, 
in which the operations at Kotra are detailed, is 
written in that comprehensive but prolix style 
which, unfortunately for the utility, beauty, and 
elegant simplicity for which these documents were 
wont to be distinguished, has of late years become 
so fashionable. 

These extend for many miles down the stream. The old fort of 
Bukkur, round which the river rushes with immense velocity, is 
situated on a high rocky island, evidently disengaged from both 
banks by the action of the stream which, formerly, took a more 
eastern direction at this part of its course ; for the ruins of the 
old Hindu capital, still to be seen, are ten miles to the eastward 
of Bukkur, yet that city was situated on the Indus, and the old 
bed of the river is distinctly to be traced. 

“ Opposite Sukkur is the old town of Rori, built high and 
overhanging the stream; it was formerly a place of great size 
and commercial importance, but now reduced by the rapacity of 
the Khyrpur Amirs. On the small hills and islands near Rori 
are some very beautiful tombs of Mahommedan saints, one of 
which is said to be so sacred to everything Sindhian, that the fish 
of the river, particularly the palah, pay respect to it, by never 
turning their tails when receding from it! Sukkur, Rori, and 
Bukkur are esteemed very sacred by the Mahommedans : they 









WITH II. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


95 


“ The Clibborn Commission” had just finished its 
sittings when we arrived, and all were anxious to 
learn the result of its deliberations. We were 
greatly astonished, however, at the appearance of 
the document in the public journals long before 
Government could have had time to peruse it, much 
less to deliver an opinion. Whether it be regarded 
as containing matter totally irrelevant to the subject 
under inquiry,—by which an unworthy and vindic¬ 
tive feeling was gratified in a most* unbecoming 
animadversion on the acts of a distinguished officer 
who had long ceased to have any connection with 
India or Indian affairs,—or viewed as having appeared 
before the public in the unauthorised and premature 
manner in which it did—and by which the sane- 

had formerly large colleges and establishments of Sujuds and holy 
men, whose minarets and tombs still contribute to add to the 
picturesque appearance of this part of Sindh. A pretty building^ 
occupied as the residence of the British authority, is erected on 
the western bank. This is also the head-quarters of our steamers 
and flotilla on the Indus; the British sailor here mixes in the 
groups of swarthy Sindhians, Parsi traders, Punjaubis, Biliechis 
and Hindustanis. Our position has infused a degree of anima¬ 
tion and bustle into the place, which is very un-Sindhian; 
a large force is stationed, and it is proposed to erect bar¬ 
racks and other accommodation for European troops. The large 
military bazaar at Sukkur is a very busied and varied scene: 
the poor traders of the country here seek an asylum from op¬ 
pression and extortion not to be found elsewhere ; and if mat¬ 
ters in Sindh had remained on their old footing, we might, by 
simple invitation, have attracted the bulk of the trade of the 
upper country to this particular spot .”—Postanss Sindh, pp. 
31, 32. 













96 FOUR years’ service in the east 

tioner of such denouement was guilty of a gross 
breach of faith,—it must be considered one of the 
most extraordinary and censurable productions that 
ever emanated from a military court. 

My time at Sukkur was completely occupied 
during our halt in perfecting in the drill those 
recruits who had joined us shortly before leaving 
Kurachee, and for whose exercise there had been so 
little opportunity since they had been at the head¬ 
quarters of the regiment. The numerous brigade 
field-days which we had, and on which occasions 
old and young soldiers had to join the ranks, rather 
interfered with the pipeclay instructions. 

Extensive military operations were talked of at 
this time, and Herat was significantly mentioned 
by those who professed to be in the secret, as 
the field on which we were to gather fresh lau¬ 
rels. A few examples were to be made in Upper 
Scinde before advancing, so as effectually to quench 
any spark of power or hope that might yet re¬ 
main to Nusser Khan, and by preventing the 
possibility of his reassembling an army, to induce 
him to throw himself on the mercy of the British, 
— a step which I believe he would gladly have 
taken, had he not been apprehensive that he would 
follow Dhost Mahommed as a prisoner to India. 

During the month of December our force was 
augmented by the arrival of a wing of H. M. 41st 
regiment, and a portion of our old Deesa friends, 
the 3rd cavalry. 












WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


97 


On the morning of the 2nd of January, 1841, we 
marched from Sukkur ,—no one , I believe, having the 
most remote idea of our destination. Our force 
consisted of two troops of horse artillery, a battery 
of nine-pounders, two wings of cavalry, H. M. 40th, 
a wing of H. M. 41st, 20th, and 21st Bombay N. I., 
and a host of irregular horse. Our first stage was 
to Jufferabad, a distance of eight or nine miles. 
I had never before marched with so large a force, 
and was much struck, as every one must be, who 
witnesses it, with the far extending — almost in¬ 
terminable line of baggage by which an Indian 
army is followed. The country near our halting- 
place was generally open, but our Quartermaster- 
general preferred pitching us in the midst of an 
adjoining jungle, — a new theory in the art of 
castrametation, suggested probably by some one 
for the purpose of concealing us from the enemy, 
and thereby adding to the mystery and secrecy in 
which our actions and movements at this time 
were veiled. On the 80th of January w r e halted, and 
on the morning of the 4th made another march 
of about eight miles to Abdoo, wdiere we en¬ 
camped. On the 5th another halt, and on the 
6th, having again moved, we reached Shikarpoor,* 

* u Shikarpur, the great mart of Sindh, and the city of great¬ 
est commercial importance beyond the Indus, from its extensive 
banking influence over the whole of Central Asia, as well as other 
countries, is situated about twenty-four miles N.W. from the river 
at Sukkur, on the high road to Candahar, by the great pass of 
the Bolan. We had a large establishment and a considerable 

II 







98 FOUR years’ service in the east 

thus, in five days, accomplishing a march of twen¬ 
ty-seven miles over a level country,—a sure me¬ 
thod possibly, certainly a slow one, of coming up 
with the enemies of whom we were supposed to be 
in search. 

Shikarpoor is one of the principal towns in 
Upper Scinde. Like the others we had visited in 
the north and south of this province, it struck me 
as being very meagrely peopled in proportion to 
its size; many parts of the town, indeed, were 
quite uninhabited. Here I had the pleasure of 
renewing my acquaintance with Mrs. Postans who 
has contributed so much to our enjoyment by 
her talented and interesting work on Western 
India. 

force here so long as our armies were beyond the Affghan passes; 
but on their withdrawal, the necessity no longer appearing to 
exist, we abandonded Shikarpur. Its position will always give 
it a direct influence on the trade of the Indus and countries be¬ 
yond. It shares with Multan the title of one of the gates of 
Khorassan, and contains 22,000 inhabitants, according to an 
accurate census taken bv the Author. It is walled in, but is in a 
very dirty and dilapidated state; and the large bazaar, for which 
it is famous, is half-a-mile in extent, and the walls make a cir¬ 
cuit of nearly three miles. A rich country extends for about 
twenty miles, and then all is a mere desert : and the extent of 
Sindh is here defined by the territories of the Kilat chief and his 
predatory subjects. Subzulkot, the last remaining place of any 
moment, is about sixty miles above Rori, on the same side of 
the river ; the town is a fort of a moderate size, but the lands in 
the vicinity are valuable for their great productiveness, particu¬ 
larly in cotton. The Daodputra country here commences.” 
— Posterns’s, Sindh , pp. 32, 33. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


99 


During our stay, we occasionally went out to 
participate in the amusement of hawking,—a sport 
which I believe is much indulged in by the richer 
classes of this country. I cannot say it is a branch 
of venery into the spirit of which I can thoroughly 
enter. However, I never had seen it at home; 
and the specimen we had in Scinde may possibly 
have been of a very inferior description, if not a 
burlesque on this ancient sport, which has still so 
many votaries. 

The wing of H. M. 41st regiment, and part of 
the artillery which had accompanied us from Suk- 
kur, were directed to return to that station, owing, 
it was supposed, to some change in the inten¬ 
tions of Government as to the nature and extent 
of the operations to be carried on by this force, 
—influenced probably by the disturbed state of 
affairs in the Punjaub. 

Our encampment was some distance from Shik- 
arpoor. Here w T e halted until the 15th, when we 
commenced moving off in small detachments, on 
different days, and by different routes,—a step ren¬ 
dered absolutely necessary by the great scarcity 
of water on the routes by which we were to 
march in order to gain the other side of the 
desert. 

The infantry, under Brigadier Valiant, having se¬ 
parated from head-quarters, moved across the desert 
to Bushoorie, via Sultankajote, Janadeera, and Ro- 
zan; at each of these places we experienced a 

H 2 





100 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

very great scarcity of good water for ourselves, 
and had much difficulty in obtaining even a limited 
supply of brackish water for our cattle. On the 
morning of the 18th, we had arrived at Rozan, 
having still a long march of nearly thirty miles 
across the desert before us. Our Brigadier deter¬ 
mined on making it during the night. 

Accordingly, after an early dinner, we set out at 
five p.m. About half-way across the desert we came 
up to some splendid fires which our Quartermaster, 
who had gone on in advance, had lighted; near 
them we halted for about two hours; and, having 
produced the contents of haversacks, canteens, &c., 
we turned to, and enjoyed ourselves quite a la pic¬ 
nic, After this rest we proceeded merrily on our 
march, reaching Buslioorie about four in the morning 
of the 19th, and then learned that we should have 
arranged better had we postponed our departure 
from Rozan for a couple of hours, as in that case 
we should have been enabled to reach our destina¬ 
tion as day broke, and been saved the discomfort 
of groping about in the dark, not knowing how 
or where to pitch our camp. 

At Bushoorie we found water as scarce and bad 
as at the side of the desert. On the 20th we 
continued our march on Mungal-ka-shere, where 
we arrived on the morning of the 80th. Here we 
were directed to halt, until some arrangements with 
the neighbouring tribes with which the Politicals 
were engaged had been completed. 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 101 

The country between Sukkur and Mungal-ka- 
shere, is singularly monotonous. It is generally 
uncultivated; but I conceive this is to be attri¬ 
butable more to the total want of security for 
property, especially in the immediate vicinity of 
the hills, than to the poverty of the soil. The 
inhabitants, generally speaking, are a wretched, 
spiritless, and oppressed race; till and sow the 
ground they may, but they are never certain of 
reaping the fruits of their labour. 

As a proof of the appalling state of poverty to 
which they are reduced, and the degrading extremi¬ 
ties to which they are driven, numbers of men, 
women, and children were daily to be seen eagerly 
picking from the dung of our cattle the undi¬ 
gested particles of grain, which, when cleaned, they 
used as food for themselves! 

On our line of march we saw numerous ruined 
villages, several of which had evidently been re¬ 
cently plundered and destroyed, the walls still con¬ 
tinuing to smoulder. How thankful should the 
contemplation of the state of a country like this 
make those whose lot is cast in a happier land | 
What a contrast is presented by the happy homes 
of England — aye, even by the vilest hovels of 
poverty in a Christian land, to those countries 
where war with all its terrible and desolating atten- 
dants is ever raging | 

During our stay here, numerous petty thefts were 
committed by the villagers. I must do the Scin- 








102 FOUR YEARS' service in the east 

dians the justice to say, that they are the most ex¬ 
pert appropriators of the goods of other people 
I have ever known. 

In the vicinity of the camp were numbers of wild 
hog: we made several attempts to have some 
sport with them, but were generally unsuccessful 
in inducing the “ old grey boar” to break cover. 
One day we had some excellent fun with a fine 
old tusker, although not in the most legitimate 
manner of sporting. On the right of our camp, 
was a very deep nullah. One morning a splendid 
boar was foolish enough to wend his way along 
it; being seen by some of our men, a view hol¬ 
loa was given, and quick as thought the unfor¬ 
tunate brute was surrounded by an immense mob. 
Hearing the noise, I rushed out of my tent, and 
found the enraged but devoted animal charging 
and upsetting his tormentors in all directions. At 
length, with the assistance of a friendly bayonet, 
he was dispatched ; and, strange to say, without his 
having inflicted a scratch on any one of his enemies. 

A Tent Lascar, coming up at this time to assist 
in the fray, drew a sword which he had with him 
and inflicted a severe gash on the loins of the 
prostrate boar. A regular John Bull , who hap¬ 
pened to be stationed near him, and who doubt¬ 
less was fearful lest the carcass should now be 
spoiled for the table, most unceremoniously, and 
much to the astonishment of the Lascar, rewarded 
him for his officiousness by sending him sprawling 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


103 


on the ground ; reminding me much of a most 
amusing incident which had occurred while hunting 
in Guzerat, some years previous, and which I cannot 
resist taking the opportunity of mentioning here. 

A number of griffins had made their first appear¬ 
ance as hog-hunters, on one occasion, not far from 
Deesa; a fine boar was soon started, and, after a 
beautiful run, he fell by the unerring spear of an 
old and experienced sportsman. The griffs, however, 
being most anxious to blood their first spears, gal¬ 
loped up and as they dashed past the fallen animal, 
plunged their weapons into his carcass. An old 
and esteemed friend of mine, who with his strong 
attachment to the pleasures of the chase com¬ 
bined a lively regard for the good things of this 
life, unable any longer to stand the repeated attacks 
on the unoffending pork, at length exclaimed, “ For 
heaven’s sake, stop these griffins; they will spoil the 
chops!” 

About the end of January an order was issued 
for the right wing of the 40th to proceed to Mun- 
gal-ka-shere, there to join the head-quarters ; and 
early in February I was overjoyed to find once 
more with me the many old and valued friends be¬ 
longing to that wing. 

It was, however, a source of much regret to us all 
to witness the acute sufferings of this portion of the 
corps owing to the great prevalence among them of 
a most dreadful ulcer, commonly called the Scinde 
boil. The whole of the troops which had been for 












104 FOUR years’ service in the east 

any length of time stationed in Upper Scinde, were 
attacked with more or less severity by these painful 
and disgusting sores, which were attributed to the 
peculiar and very unwholesome properties of the 
water in this part of the province. There was 
scarcely an officer or man in the whole wing who 
was not labouring under their loathsome influence ; 
it was, however, so far fortunate that the general 
health of the wing did not appear to be much, if at 
all, affected by them. 

After the junction of our right wing, some 
capital steeple-chases were got up; and, for those 
who had time to indulge their tastes in that way, 
there was abundance of excellent shooting. 

Attempts were repeatedly renewed, but always 
unsuccessfully, to have a boar-hunt; it was almost 
impossible to get these animals out of cover, and, 
when on one or two occasions they did break, it 
was only to shew that they were there, and 
double back again. 













WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


105 


CHAPTER X. 


Force under Colonel Wilson proceeds to Kujjuk.—Defeat of our 
Troops.—General Brooks proceeds with Reinforcements to the 
Scene of Disaster.—Enemy evacuate Kujjuk.—Storm.—Night 
March.—Description of Kujjuk. 

A neighbouring tribe having declined to pay 
tribute to our puppet Shah Soojah, a small force 
under Colonel Wilson of the Bombay cavalry was 
directed to proceed early in February to their 
stronghold Kujjuk, in the Seebee country, for the 
purpose of forcing them into a compliance with the 
demand upon them.* 

The Kujjuks, Punnees of the Caukur tribe, no¬ 
thing daunted by the appearance of a British force, 
still refused to accede to our terms; it there¬ 
fore became necessary to attack their town. The 
artillery, accordingly, were placed in position near 


* “ Seewee is entered by a traveller from Daudur, in the course 
of his first march to the northward. It is a flat, dry plain of 
hardened clay, but in some places its natural defects are relieved 
by streams from the hills, and round the town of Seewee, at least, 
is highly cultivated. The Punnees still form part of the Affghan 
nation, and are under a governor appointed by the king.”— El~ 
phinatones Account of the Kingdom of Cciubul, vol. ii. p. 164. 

















106 FOUR years" service in the east 

the fort, and an attempt was made to breach; but 
the guns making little or no impression on the 
mud-walls, it was determined to take the place by 
assault. At this time Colonel Wilson, when with 
the guns, was severely wounded by a matchlock 
ball, and was taken off the field. A storming party 
was formed, and an effort made to carry the gate ; 
this was, however, unsuccessful, and our troops were 
driven back with severe loss. Their leader, Lieu¬ 
tenant Franklin, 2nd Grenadiers, was killed, and 
Lieutenant It. Shaw, of the commissariat depart¬ 
ment, who had volunteered his services, was severely 
wounded. 

Another essay was determined on, and Lieu¬ 
tenant Creed, of the Horse Artillery, with thirty 
volunteers from among the men of his troop, led 
this second attack. Gallantly the Europeans rushed 
to the onset, carrying all before them, and gaining 
possession of the gate. The besieged, however, see¬ 
ing that the assault was not supported, returned to 
the charge, and, overwhelming the troops with their 
superior numbers, drove them from the fort, with 
the loss of the intrepid Creed, and ten of his gallant 
followers. 

For the character of the native soldiery I enter¬ 
tain the greatest admiration, and often have I wit¬ 
nessed their gallant bearing in the field;—I trust, 
therefore, that I shall not be accused of uttering 
anything approaching to disrespect, or in any way 
derogatory to the fair fame of those who were en- 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


107 


gaged in wliat has been described as a most 
unequal contest at Kujjuk, if I state my convic¬ 
tion that, had a few European infantry been at the 
storm of that small fort, we should not have had to 
record a disastrous defeat. 

After the repulse of Lieutenant Creed, no fur¬ 
ther attempt was made to carry the fort; and Cap¬ 
tain Rawlings, of the Grenadiers, on whom the com¬ 
mand devolved when Colonel Wilson was wounded, 
having, as he supposed , closely invested the place, 
a dispatch, announcing the disaster, was sent to 
General Brooks, which reached our camp at 
Mungal-ka-sliere about one p.m., on the 21st of 
March. 

Orders were immediately issued for the troop of 
Horse Artillery under Captain Leeson, H. M. 40tli, 
and the 21st Bombay N. I., to be in readiness to 
march that evening on Seebee, a distance of about 
forty miles. Expedition, of course, being a great 
object, the General commanded that as small a 
quantity of baggage as possible should accompany 
each regiment. We therefore took only a limited 
number of tents, and supplies for five or six days,— 
General Brooks intimating his intention to return 
to Mungal-ka-sh ere within that time: and, leav¬ 
ing the remainder of our kits, and most of our 
tents, in charge of the depot, which was ordered to 
remain behind, we marched from camp about 
four p.m. 

The General, with the artillery, moved on at a 














108 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

quicker pace than the infantry, and reached Met- 
trie, about half way, some hours before us. 

The guides with whom we had been furnished 
either did not, or would not, know the road, and we 
were led about by them in the dark in a most 
unsatisfactory manner, over nullahs and through 
jungles. Indeed, I know not when we might 
have reached our destination, had not General 
Brooks, suspecting, from the length of time that we 
were out, that we had lost our way, fired a gun and 
burned a few blue-lights, by which we were enabled 
to find a road to his encampment. As it was, in 
some of the ravines during the darkness of the 
night we lost four companies of the 21st regiment, 
which did not reach Mettrie until several hours 
after the remainder of the infantry. 

On coming up to the General, we ascertained 
that he had received a second dispatch from See- 
bee, intimating that during the previous night the 
enemy, anticipating the arrival of reinforcements, 
had evacuated the fort, and escaped into the neigh¬ 
bouring hills: desirous, however, of judging for 
himself of the nature and extent of the opposi¬ 
tion offered, by which our men had been so signally 
discomfited, he pushed on with the artillery to 
Seebee, directing the infantry to bivouac for the 
remainder of the night at Mettrie, and follow 
him the next morning. 

About four o’clock p. m. of the 22nd of February 
the infantry, under Brigadier Valiant, resumed their 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


109 


march on Kujjuk. At about eight o’clock the 
sky became suddenly overcast, portending an ap¬ 
proaching storm; the wind moaned mournfully 
through the jungle forest, and— 

“ What at first was called a gust, the same 
Hath now a storm’s—anon a tempest’s name.” 

I had never before seen such a storm come on 
so quickly and so unexpectedly, nor has it ever 
been my fortune to witness anything so sublimely 
yet so gloomily dark as was this night: the rain 
poured down in torrents, the growling of the 
deep-toned thunder was echoed back, again and 
again, by the distant hills, and the frequent but 
momentary flashing of the brilliant lightning con¬ 
trasted strangely and hideously with the dismal 
blackness around. 

Our guide, apparently paralysed by this sudden 
and appalling conflict of the elements, declared his 
unconsciousness of the localities of the country, 
and his inability to proceed further till daylight; 
we had no other alternative, therefore, but to remain 
where we were, as quietly and comfortably as cir¬ 
cumstances would admit. The rain at first 
soaked readily into the earth—but the earth soon 
becoming satiated, the water remained where it fell, 
and speedily formed an immense pool, extending 
like a lake over this level country; and long ere 
the morning star appeared, “ to tell the dawning 
day is drawing near,” the greater portion of the 
brigade were standing up to their knees in water, 



















110 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

with their feet well cased in six or eight inches 
of most tenacious mud. When we had time to 
scrutinize ourselves and our neighbours, we pre¬ 
sented a most ludicrous appearance,—the only con¬ 
solation remaining to us, if we may credit Rochefou¬ 
cauld’s axiom, being derived from the fact that we 
all were alike ! 

Continuing our walk, about six o’clock a. m. of 
the 24th, we made the best of our way to Seebee ? 
struggling as if through a river nearly the whole 
way. The ground pointed out to us for encamp¬ 
ing—the only available piece in the whole neigh¬ 
bourhood—was a perfect lake; but, with the assist¬ 
ance of the pioneers’ tools, we soon took off the 
surface-water, though we should have been none the 
worse had a few of the gentlemen-farmers of Eng¬ 
land been present with their complete draining- 
apparatus, to relieve us of the rain with which the 
ground was so completely saturated. 

Immediately after parading and inspecting the 
men for duty, I galloped off to my friends of the 
3rd cavalry, got a comfortable breakfast, and was 
dressed out by my brother-adjutant, Forbes. Many 
of our tents did not come up that day, and several 
never reached Seebee at all. Camels never can 
travel in muddy or slippery countries, and many 
of these poor brutes slipped with their loads, fell, 
and in many cases split up. The loss to the 
public in camels alone in this one night’s march 
was between three and four hundred. 







WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


Ill 


Accompanied by some of my brother officers, I 
went off after breakfast to inspect the town of 
Kujjuk, situated close to the Murree Hills in the 
Seebee district. It is a small oblong fort, and at 
the time of its attack by our troops, did not pos¬ 
sess any extraordinary degree of strength ; the walls, 
which were of mud, were high, but in many places 
much dilapidated. At one time there had evidently 
been a deep ditch extending completely round the 
defences ; but only on the front, where our troops 
attacked, and on the left flank, was there any water 
in it. On the right and rear faces the ditch was 
perfectly dry, and indeed, in some places, quite 
filled up. In some places, also, there were several 
practicable breaches, and close to one of them on 
the rear, growing almost out of the wall, was a 
large tree, which would have assisted materially in 
enabling the attacking party to gain admission, 
had their assault been made on that point. It 
would appear that the commander, who directed 
the operations, had gone out of his way to find 
difficulties; and in fixing on the gateway as the 
point of attack, he had certainly succeeded in 
choosing that part generally best defended. 

The phraseology usually adopted when a com¬ 
mander fails in an Indian expedition is, that he 
fell into the common error of having too great a 
contempt for his enemy. In the present instance, 
it may with more truth be said, that the error con¬ 
sisted in acting in opposition to every principle of 
common sense; for the most cursory view of the 























112 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

fort and its defences ought to have satisfied even 
the most obtuse of would-be-generals of the propriety 
and expediency of taking advantage of the breaches 
already made ;—of the practicability of this course, 
some idea may be formed from the fact of my having 
seen an officer ride over one of these ruined parts of 
the wall, without any undue exertion, or even attempt 
at leaping on the part of his horse. A small tower 
on the right, and within a few paces of the wall, 
completely commanded the front of the fort and 
the gateway on which our attacks were made ; this, 
however, was never occupied, or even attempted 
to be occupied by our troops. 

The gateway itself was perfectly open, and lead¬ 
ing straight from it was a short but narrow street, 
terminating in a large open square, which may be 
said to be the centre of the town. On the right 
and left of the gates were long narrow lanes run¬ 
ning parallel to the wall, and which were com¬ 
manded by the tower to which I have before al¬ 
luded. In these lanes the enemy made their stand, 
and by rushing down on the flanks of the attack¬ 
ing party as they entered, overpowered and drove 
them back. 




WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


113 


CHAPTER XL 

Detachment occupies Kujjuk.—Death of Colonel Wilson.—Sale 
of Prize Property at Kujjuk.—Destruction of Kujjuk.—Musket 
and Bayonet.—March for Dadur.—Dadur.—Bolan Pass. 

The fort had been taken possession of by our 
troops on its evacuation by the enemy, and on our 
arrival a small detachment was quartered in it. 
As we entered it, was presented one of those very 
repugnant spectacles which unfortunately, in similar 
cases, are but too common. Camp-followers were 
straggling about intent on plunder; the most wil¬ 
ful and iniquitous demolition of property took 
place; sheep, cattle, &c., were wantonly and heed¬ 
lessly destroyed, notwithstanding the exertions 
of the Provost Marshal and his myrmidons. A 
committee was appointed for the management of 
the prize-property,-—it having been decided by the 
General that everything taken at Kujjuk should 
be disposed of for the benefit of the troops— 
pending, of course, the sanction of Her Majesty. 

When we had been at Kujjuk about a week, 
Colonel Wilson died of his wounds, and was buried 
near to those who had fallen at the assault on the 
place, and close to the spot where he had received 
his death-wound. Pie was a young active soldier, and 

i 














114 FOUR years’ service in the east 


bore the reputation of being one of the best, if 
not the best, cavalry officer in the Bombay army. 

On the day following his funeral, the auction of 
prize-property commenced. Impelled by curiosity, 
I went down to see what there was to tempt the 
purchaser. Truly, a heterogeneous mass of goods. 
Grain, ghee-flour, &c., even down to incomplete 
portions of wearing-apparel of the women, — all 
were offered for sale. I felt that our character 
was tarnished by the whole transaction, and the 
very recollection of this undignified proceeding still 
calls a blush of shame to my cheek. 

The • villagers who had been driven to the hills, 
could plainly see the destruction of their property. 
A few short days before, the rich plains were 
adorned with most luxurious crops—now, all was 
desolation. In the fields, where the fruits of their 
labour were springing up, roved a host of cattle 
spreading ruin far and wide. Many of these poor 
wretches, who, driven to despair by the crav¬ 
ings of hunger, had stolen down to the fort under 
cover of the darkness of night, in the hope of being 
able to carry off something for themselves and 
friends, were detected and shot by the sentries. 

The fort had been gutted of everything valuable; 
and, the sale of prize-property being now over, it 
was given up for two days to the camp-followers 
for plunder; after which, fatigue parties from the 
different corps commenced, under the superinten¬ 
dence of the engineer, the destruction of the de- 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


115 


fences, and, when this work was completed by 
springing a few mines, the troops were withdrawn, 
and the houses fired. 

“ The smiling cots no more appeared,— 

Or dimly seen, where darkly reared 
Their mould’ring walls, whose falling, heard 
By watching swains, told them interred 
Was every hope,—their home ! ” 

There is something attaching to the wanton de¬ 
struction of property, and more especially to the 
desolation of the fair fruits of the earth, which is 
particularly revolting. There are times when the 

stern necessities of war require the commission 

* 

of acts which humanity cannot but view with 
abhorrence; but I do not admit that these ne¬ 
cessities existed at Kujjuk. The dignity and 
honour of the British name are ever best upheld 
by the practice of generosity and magnanimity, 
and it is idle to suppose that such conduct is not 
appreciated, or that it is always put down to the 
score of fear. There is a wide difference between the 
concession which has too often disgraced our policy, 
and humane forbearance after victory, the practice of 
which has never failed to call forth admiration and 
do honour to our national character ; and certainly, 
in the present case, the practice of that forbearance, 
—the exercise of that generosity,—if not impe¬ 
rative, would have done more towards pacifying this 
country and securing for ourselves the respect and 
affection of its people, than did the inexorable 





















116 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

course of rapine, savouring strongly of the acts of 
lawless plunderers, which we pursued,—a species of 
brutal revenge we are so ready to condemn in others, 
but the sincere detestation of which we can only 
show by the ennobling contrast of our own conduct. 

During my stay here, while walking through the 
camp, 1 met some of the wounded Horse Artillery 
who had volunteered with poor Creed. Having en¬ 
tered into conversation with them, I made some in¬ 
quiries as to the numbers by which they were op¬ 
posed, and the nature of the weapons used by the be¬ 
sieged. With regard to the first, they represented 
the strength of the Kujjuks actually engaged in close 
combat with the European storming-party as vastly 
superior to the latter; and with reference to the wea¬ 
pons, those generally used were the sword and shield 
of the country. This elicited the remark from one 
of the soldiers—the truth of which appeared to be 
admitted by the rest,—that if the thirty men whq 
had attacked with Lieutenant Creed had had musket 
and bayonet, instead of the light dragoon sword, 
with which they entered the fort, they would not 
have been driven back. This, I think, may safely 
be taken as an example of the general esti¬ 
mation in which the musket and bayonet are 
held by the greater portion of the British Army, 
and proves the existence of one point of great 
importance, viz.—-the firm and implicit confidence 
reposed in those weapons alike by English, Scotch, 
and Irish. 






WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 117 

The intention of the General to march to Mun- 
gal-ka-sliere was completely frustrated by the in¬ 
clemency of the weather; for, instead of our being 
able to return to that camp, the rain had fallen 
in such quantities as to render the country per¬ 
fectly impassable; we were consequently weather¬ 
bound at Kujjuk until the morning of the 16th, 
when we directed our steps on Dadur,—whither our 
depot, with the tents, baggage, &c., which we had 
left behind us, was ordered to proceed. Our first 
march was to Koranna: here we encamped near the 
ground on which we had passed such an uncom¬ 
fortable hydropathic night on the 22nd of February. 
The country on the line of march, more especially 
near our encampment, was strewed with the bodies 
of the dead camels which had been sacrificed that 
night; and the effluvia from their decaying car¬ 
casses did anything but add to the agremens of 
the neighbourhood. On the 17th we marched 
to Mettrie; the river here, the bed of which was 
perfectly dry when we passed in February, was 
now a fine stream, and the water at the ford 
where we crossed was nearly up to our middles. 
On the 18th we halted, and on the 19th reached 
Dadur. A battery of nine-pounders marched into 
the camp the same day, and here we received in¬ 
telligence that H. M. 41st were again ordered to ad¬ 
vance, and that a battery of eighteen-pounders was 
being prepared at Sukkur by order of the Bombay 
government,—which, with a host of other troops, 








118 FOUR years’ service in the east 


was also to come on ;—in fact, every thing gave evi¬ 
dence of the intention of our rulers to be at some¬ 
thing and Herat was still looked upon as the de¬ 
voted city against which we were to proceed. 

The Commissariat having as usual numerous ar¬ 
rangements to make, and the Political, Mr. Ross Bell, 
with his immense retinue of camels, amounting to 
about five hundred or six hundred, (a much larger 
number than is necessary to serve a European regi¬ 
ment,) being anxious to get through the pass before 
the troops, we were ordered to halt here some days. 

The camp at Mungal-ka-shere had not escaped 
the storm on the 22nd of February, and we found 
that our kits, &c., which we had left behind, had 
in no way been improved by the action of the rain. 
Three of my camels, for which I had paid a large 
sum in Lower Scinde, had, from the wet and cold, 
been rendered perfectly incapable of work, and I 
was glad to dispose of them all for the small sum 
of fifty rupees. The public camels had suffered 
to a great extent also, and considerable difficulty 
was experienced in replacing them,—a circumstance 
which naturally calls forth the inquiry, why so 
large a number were apportioned to the political 
agent, when such a scarcity existed ? 

By paying a heavy price, I was enabled to replace 
the camels I had been compelled to dispose of, and 
had the mortification to see one of them, a very 
splendid-looking animal, die suddenly, and in the 
most unexpected manner, on the following day, 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 119 

without leaving me the satisfaction of having got 
one day’s work out of him. 

Dadur is a small fortified town, and, like the 
rest in this country, mud-built. Situated as it is 
in a basin formed of barren hills and mountains, it 
is not difficult to form an idea of the dreadful heat 
of its climate in the summer months. The coun¬ 
try in the neighbourhood is very unproductive, and 
intersected with numerous water-courses and deep 
ravines. 

The heat was beginning to be most oppressive, 
and we were not sorry to turn our backs on this 
station, which we did on the morning of the 26th 
of March. After marching four or five miles, we 
entered the Bolan Pass, with which I confess I was 
disappointed,—its general appearance and strength 
falling very far short of what I had conceived of 
them from the descriptions of those by whom we had 
been preceded. Our first halting-place was Cundya, 
about thirteen miles from Dadur. The road is prin¬ 
cipally through the bed of the Bolan River, which, 
from its serpentine course, we had to ford no less 
than eighteen times in one day; and, from the loose 
jungle over which we had to move, the marching 
was not only exceedingly fatiguing, but very destruc¬ 
tive to shoe-leather. Our encampment was close 
under a precipitous range of rugged hills. On the 
right of the camp flowed the Bolan River, and on the 
other side of it was an extensive plain, on which I 
should certainly have preferred encamping, had it 









120 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

been for no otlier reason than to save the troops 
wading through the river the first thing next morn¬ 
ing. However, we must take it for granted that 
our Quartermaster-general was right, and that it 
is highly refreshing to get one’s feet cooled at the 
commencement of a long march. 

We had been assured that it was impossible to 
drive our tent-pegs into the ground in the Pass, so 
we adopted the recommendation given us of tying 
our tent-ropes to large stones. Before morning 
we found out that it would have been more satis¬ 
factory to ourselves if we had, at least, endeavoured 
to pitch our tents in the legitimate manner; for 
towards the middle of the night a booming noise 
was heard, instantly followed by a most violent gust 
of wind, which, rushing through the hills with 
renewed and increasing fury, in an instant after 
levelled our tents with the ground. The occupants, 
who had struggled out, stood like spectres, gaz¬ 
ing on the absurd scene which this mishap had 
caused; while those who had not been enabled to 
extricate themselves in time from under their can¬ 
vas-dwellings were calling lustily for help. The 
wind blew during the remainder of the night with 
unabated force, rendering every attempt to re-pitch 
our tents futile, and increasing our discomfort by the 
clouds of sand and dust which it raised. The wisest 
course left us to pursue, and which was generally 
adopted, was to get hold of our clothes, dress our- 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


121 


selves, and remain until the beating of “ the ge¬ 
neral” summoned us to prepare for advancing. 

Our next stasre was to Kirta, a distance of nine or 
ten miles. To-day (March 27) we crossed the river 
eigh t times, the nature of the road being much the 
same as yesterday. The scenery as we advanced was 
much grander, and the pass much stronger. The 
wind had not at all lulled; and we found it quite 
impossible to pitch our camp unless in some few 
places where a slight shelter was afforded by a 
neighbouring hill. On the 28th we marched on Bee- 
bee Nanee: the ascent now was very perceptible, and 
we began to feel an improvement in the tempe¬ 
rature. We crossed the river once. The road on this 
march was rougher and more fatiguing than any we 
had yet travelled. The pass becomes much wider 
and the country more open in the neighbourhood of 
Beebee Nanee. On the 29th we marched to Abi- 
goom. The river flowed through our encampment to¬ 
day ; the country again became more confined and 
rugged. Here a few of our cattle either strayed or 
were carried off; a company was sent in pursuit, 
with orders that, in the event of the latter being 
the case, not one of the plunderers should be spared. 
The lost cattle were found a few miles from the 
camp, among the hills, mingling with the herds of 
some of the tribes. The herdsmen appeared in con¬ 
siderable numbers, and, like the rest of the inha¬ 
bitants of this country, they were well-armed; our 






122 FOUR years’ service in the east 

troops attacked them according to the orders of the 
General. The remembrance of such a disgusting 
style of service, however, can recal no feelings of 
pleasure to those who had the misfortune to be 
employed in it. 

Some distance from Beebee Nanee are to be 
seen a few graves, in which rest the remains of a 
number of travellers, who some years before had 
been attacked and murdered by the Beloochees. 

On the 30th we reached Sir-i-Bolan, a distance 
of about eight miles. The water gushing out from 
an aperture in the rock is the source of the Bolan 
River. Here the pass becomes very narrow and very 
beautiful. On the 31st we advanced to Dust-ta-be- 
Dowlet, or the Valiev without Wealth. For about 
four or five miles our march was through a narrow 
and tortuous defile of great strength, varying from 
fifteen to twenty yards in breadth, with perpen¬ 
dicular rocks on either side, towering to the height 
of about two hundred feet. The heights were 
crowned by the light companies to-day, previous 
to our entering the defile—the first precautionary 
measure we had adopted since entering the pass. 
After marching about ten miles, we made a very 
abrupt ascent of about one hundred yards, clearing 
the pass, and entering upon an extensive valley. 
One of the officers in the rear-guard to-day shot a 
remarkably fine doomba—a species of wild sheep 
which are to be found in great numbers on the hills. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


123 


During our march through the pass the infantry 
had never once been required to assist the guns—a 
duty which I had fully anticipated, from the descrip¬ 
tion of the pass, we should often have had to per¬ 
form. One of the great difficulties, if not the great¬ 
est, connected with this pass—and it certainly is a 
most serious one—is the total want of forage in it, 
and the consequent necessity for encumbering an 
army with additional baggage, in the shape of indis¬ 
pensable supplies of grain and other provisions for 
men and cattle. On the 1st of April we made a long 
march over a very extensive plain to Sir-i-ab; 
and on the 2nd, continuing our route, we reached 
Quettah. 






124 FOUR years’ service in the east 


CHAPTER XII. 

Q uettah. — Deaths among the Cattle from a Poisonous Herb in 
lucerne.—Bursting of a Water-course.—Adventure to a Party 
of “ Skinner’s Horse.”—Dreadful Sickness at Quettah.—Expe¬ 
dition under Colonel Soppit.—Command of Force assumed by 
Brigadier England.—Sanatory Report on the State of Quettah. 
Savage Murder of Mrs. Smith.—Nusseer Khan.—Departure of 
Major Boscawen. 

On arrival at Quettah, we learned that if it ever 
had been the intention of Government to send an 
expedition to Herat, such intention was now com¬ 
pletely abandoned. The heavy battery which was 
preparing at Sukkur had been countermanded ; but 
the 2nd brigade, under Brigadier England, was di¬ 
rected to advance, and was now moving through the 
Pass. This part of the force, it was said, was to 
proceed to Candahar, while we of the 1st brigade 
were to remain stationary at Quettah. There was 
certainly nothing prepossessing in our promised sta¬ 
tion, and we would all have willingly gone on in 
the hope of finding a better. 

Quettah, the capital of Shawl, is a small in¬ 
significant fortified town, with a high mound 
in the centre, dignified by the name of citadel, to 
which our troops were obliged to retire, on the 
occasion of Nusser Khan threatening our cantonment 







WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


125 


there. It is situated in a valley, nearly surrounded 
by the mountains of the Tukatoo and Bolan range. 
The general appearance of the country was singu¬ 
larly uninviting; nor could I see any traces of the 
richness which has been attributed to the “ Fertile 
Valley of Shawl,”—as it has been called by some 
authors. A few very small and irregularly-fortified 
villages, generally built close to the hills, were 
studded about; and the orchards, which in some 
favoured spot added a grace to the scenery, and a 
few other isolated patches of cultivation, tended 
only to exhibit more forcibly the general barren¬ 
ness of the land. All supplies of grain were either 
procured from the plains below the passes, or 
brought from the country about Candaliar. 

The forage we procured for our horses was really 
execrable: it was dangerous giving it to them, from 
there being a small weed indigenous to the soil 
which is a certain poison, and which springs up 
in great profusion in the crops of lucerne. Several 
of our horses died from the effects of eating it. 
For our camels there was, however, a tolerable sup¬ 
ply of southernwood, in which they seemed to de¬ 
light. At this season of the year the climate of 
Quettah was exceedingly cold and wintry—the sur¬ 
rounding hills were covered with snow, and vio¬ 
lent hail-storms, attended with thunder and light¬ 
ning, were frequent. 

Our encampment was some distance from the 
town; the ground was covered with loose shingle, 






126 FOUR years’ service in the east 

but, when cleared of the numerous scorpions with 
which it was infested, was on the whole good. 
To the south-west of the town were a few good 
houses, built by the officers who had been some 
time here; there were also comfortable barracks for 
the native troops. 

The 2nd brigade followed us here in a few days, 
and after a short halt were moved off to Moostung. 
A detachment of Skinners Horse, which had left 
Dadur about a week or ten days after the 2nd bri¬ 
gade, met with a most extraordinary but terrific 
opposition in the pass. They had entered the nar¬ 
row defile when a loud rushing noise was heard, 
and immediately after an immense volume of water 
was seen vehemently torrent down the pass: the 
troopers immediately wheeled about, and charged 
back towards the more open part of the defile, in the 
hope of escaping the destruction which seemed all 
but inevitable. The stream, swollen by the late rains, 
had burst its bounds, and rushing down the narrow 
gorge with irresistible force, carried all before it. 
To those who gained the height and escaped the 
overwhelming fury of the current, was left the ap¬ 
palling spectacle of their less fortunate comrades 
being whirled past them to certain death by the 
impetuous torrent. The loss of life and property 
in proportion to the strength of the party on this 
occasion was very great. 

During the month of April, the only subject of 
interest to this part of the Indian army was Herat, 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


127 


—the usual number of conflicting reports regard¬ 
ing our relations there,—and the different causes 
assigned for the sudden departure from that city of 
Major Tod. 

April continued a cold disagreeable month; but 
early in May, the transition to excessive heat was 
most sudden, and it was attended with many 
evils. Quettah, which had been looked upon as 
really healthy, was not long in showing how utterly 
mistaken was this idea. Dysentery and fever of the 
worst description broke out with the greatest viru¬ 
lence among the unfortunate troops, who had been 

“ Sent in this foul clime to languish.” 

The hospitals were filled to overflowing; and, to 
make matters worse, the hospitals, owing to the 
very culpable mismanagement of the Commissa¬ 
riat at Dadur, were scantily supplied with the 
necessary medicines,—even of quinine, so essen¬ 
tial in cases of fever, there was always a scar¬ 
city, even often a deficiency. That the supplies 
left at Dadur for the use of the army should not 
have been forwarded with regularity, cannot, how¬ 
ever, be a matter of wonder to those who witnessed 
the “ admired disorder” in which the stores were 
lying about there, when our force marched through. 

An expedition against a refractory chief, Fuzil 
Khan, composed of troops furnished from Quettah 
and Moostung, under command of Colonel Soppit, 
set out on the 3rd of May. A forced march of up- 







128 FOUR years’ service in the east 

wards of forty miles was made during the night of the 
4th of May to Nooskee—the fort of the chief, with 
the intention of making a chuppao (night-attack) 
and taking him. The expedition however failed; 
on his arrival at Nooskee, the Colonel found that 
the bird had flown to the desert. Unwilling, how¬ 
ever, to let slip the slightest chance of securing 
him, the cavalry and two companies of H.M. 41st— 
the latter mounted on camels—went off in pursuit: 
but they too failed in their object; and all that this 
force seemed to have succeeded in was the contrac¬ 
tion of a dysentery even more than usually virulent, 
and from which few who were attacked with it ever 
recovered. 

Meanwhile Nusser Khan still kept roaming 
through the country, wishful, it was said, of 
coming in, but prevented from doing so by his 
party. All was quiet in this district, but to the 
north—particularly in the neighbourhood of Can- 
dahar—there were disturbances. Our troops were 
continually employed in attempting to collect the 
tribute for Shah Soojah—an object in which they 
very rarely succeeded ; and even when their ef¬ 
forts were crowned with success, it was achieved 
at an expense to ourselves far outstripping in 
amount the sum which we tried to recover. Verily, 
our occupation and manner of conducting opera¬ 
tions in this country seemed to indicate that our 
treasury was inexhaustible. 

Close to the town was an extensive plain of 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


129 


fine turf, where was formed an excellent race¬ 
course, on which, during the time of our stjour 
here, we contrived to vary the monotony of our 
existence by getting up some cock-tail races; in¬ 
deed, in the exercise of all manly sports, a great 
degree of emulation was excited among the mem¬ 
bers of the two presidencies, Bengal and Bombay, 
stationed here. 

Major-general Brooks and Brigadier Valiant hav¬ 
ing been removed from their respective commands 
by order of the Bombay Government, Brigadier 
England assumed command of the head-quarters of 
the force at Quettah about June. An extract from a 
letter from Government was published at this time, 
declaring that no part of the property taken at 
Kujjuk could be considered prize, it having been 
found in a town belonging to a friendly power, 
which it had been found necessary to occupy as a 
temporary measure. The money realized by the 
sale of these things was returned; a reparation 
was made for the property destroyed, and a sum 
of money was placed at the disposal of the Kuj- 
juks to enable them to rebuild their fort. 

On what had our attack on this town been 
grounded? Was it through error, misconception, or 
mistake, that it had been stormed, that part of its 
defenders had been slain, the rest hounded from 
their homes, and that we ourselves had sustained 
a loss of three officers and a number of men? Ques¬ 
tions such as these cannot indeed be agreeable to 

K 




130 FOUR years’ service in the east 

those through whose folly, ignorance, or incapacity 
such a sacrifice of human life and British reputa¬ 
tion was consummated. 

Fever and dysentery continued during the months 
of May, June, July, August, and September, with 
unabated fury : the number of deaths during that 
time was immense. Within a very few days Mr. 
Ross Bell, the political agent, Captain Jones of the 
20th, Mr. Cureton of the 21st, Lieutenant Valiant 
of the 40th, and a great proportion of men were 
carried off. Hardly a morning or evening passed that 
one or more funeral parties were not required. Poor 
Henry Valiant! in him we all regretted the loss of as 
kind, warm-hearted, generous a fellow as ever lived. 

That frequent resource which in cases of fever is 
oftentimes beneficial, a change of ground, was again 
essayed, but we derived little or no advantage there¬ 
from ; the whole of this valley appeared equally 
unhealthy, and nothing we could do short of 
turning our backs on Shawl, was likely to contri¬ 
bute to our good. So alarming were the accounts 
of the dreadful state to which the troops here and 
at Moostung were reduced by sickness, that special 
reports were called for by Government from the me¬ 
dical men. 

Surgeon M 4 Andrew of the 40th, who, though suf¬ 
fering severely from bad health, had, unassisted, per¬ 
formed—with a zeal, cheerfulness, and disregard of 
self, which claim, and have obtained for him, the 
undying gratitude of his regiment—the entire medi- 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


131 


cal duties ever since its departure from Kurachee, 
spoke of Quettah as the most unhealthy place in 
which he had ever been stationed during a service 
of upwards of thirty years in many parts of the 
globe, the island of Walcheren not even excepted. 

A horrible murder was committed by a gang of 
one of the Bolan tribes, in the pass, early in Sep¬ 
tember: the unfortunate victim was Mrs. Smith, 
wife of Mr. Smith, a conductor in the Bombay 
Commissariat, and perhaps one of the few decidedly 
efficient men in that department. She was on her 
way to join her husband, and had employed a native 
escort to take her clear of the pass. The cow¬ 
ardly scoundrels seeing a few Beloochees coming 
down the hill, turned and ran, leaving their unfor¬ 
tunate charge to the relentless hands of the bar¬ 
barians, by whom this defenceless woman was cut 
down, notwithstanding the very romantic tales one 
hears of the almost superstitious horror with which 
they view the murder of a woman. 

Nusseer Khan had now come in, and Major Out- 
ram, who had been appointed to conduct the duties 
of political agent in Scinde as successor to Mr. 
Ross Bell, arrived here early in September. The 
greater part of the beginning of this month was 
employed in brigade field-days and similar amuse¬ 
ments for the benefit of our young friend and ally, 
Nusseer Khan, (an interesting-looking, but not a 
handsome youth,) who appeared delighted with the 
evolutions of the troops, and seemed more than 





132 FOUR years’ service in the east 

charmed with the Horse-Artillery and the extraor¬ 
dinary rapidity of their movements. He certainly 
saw this branch of the service to great advantage. 
I cannot conceive anything finer, in every military 
sense of the word, than the troops of Bombay Horse- 
Artillery with which I have been fortunate enough 
at different periods of my service to be quartered. 

Scinde now assumed a very peaceable complexion; 
and as everything in the north was declared pacific, 
it appeared settled that the 40tli at least were to 
return to India; we were therefore not a little sur¬ 
prised towards the end of September to receive an 
order to be prepared to march on Candahar, where 
it was intended we should winter. 

In common with the rest of my brother-officers, 
I had this month to regret the withdrawal from 
our corps and the service (to both of which he was 
an ornament) of our mucli-respected comrade, 
Major Boscawen. Anxious, on account of impaired 
health and other circumstances, to proceed to Eng¬ 
land, but being unable to obtain leave,—notwith¬ 
standing the assurance on all sides that this coun¬ 
try was now in a state of perfect tranquillity,—he 
at length determined on retiring altogether from 
the army ; and on the 27th of September he took 
his departure, carrying with him the best wishes of 
every individual in the corps, and leaving us to re¬ 
gret the loss of a highly esteemed and sincere 
friend. 














WITH H. M, 40TH REGIMENT. 


133 


CHAPTER XIII. 


March from Quettah.—Kooshlac Pass.—Hyderzye.—Hykulzie.— 
Syed Rokun Kagote.— Arumbee.—Killa Abdoolah. — Kojuk 
Pass. — Country between Kojuk Pass and Candahar. — Dis¬ 
turbances in North of Afghanistan.—Candahar Cantonments. 
Ukrum Khan.—Candahar.— Brigade under Colonel Mac Laren 
marches en route to Cabul.—Brigade returns.—Bengal Sepoys. 
—16 th Regiment. 


Captain Blood’s company of Artillery (four 
guns) which was ordered to accompany the 40th 
regiment to Candahar, having arrived from Moos- 
tung, and everything being declared ready for a 
start, we struck our tents on the morning of the 
6th of October; and gladly bidding adieu to Quet¬ 
tah, where so many of those who entered this 
country with us had found a grave, we proceeded 
to Candahar. 

Our first march was into the Pesheen Valley, 
which we entered through the small pass of Koosh¬ 
lac, in the Tuckatoo range of mountains, divid¬ 
ing this valley from that of Shawl. We took 
the precaution to occupy the pass with our light 
company until the guns and camels had moved 
through—a step always prudent, if not quite neces¬ 
sary, in a country where there are marauders fre- 





134 FOUR years’ service in the east 

quently lurking about, ready to take advantage of 
any oversight by which they may be enabled to 
plunder the passing traveller. 

The first few miles of our march was a gradual 
ascent over a tolerably level plain. As we neared 
the pass, at a distance of five or six miles from 
Quettah, the country became intersected by nu¬ 
merous ravines, which considerably retarded the 
progress of our guns and wagons,—particularly the 
latter, which were drawn by bullocks;—excellent 
animals for draught, generally, but not at all suited 
to a shingly country, similar to that which we passed 
over in to-day’s march. 

In the Kooshlac Pass, which does not extend 
above half a mile, there is no difficulty to overcome: 
the descent, however, is rather precipitous, especi¬ 
ally by the path to the left, along which the infantry 
moved; the road for the guns to the right, and 
which is cut out of the side of the hill, is also 
steep and narrow, overhanging on one side a preci¬ 
pice. Over this steep, owing to some fracture in 
the drag-chain, one of the guns rolled, carrying 
with it the wheelers and driver, (the leaders for¬ 
tunately had been taken out): Everyone, of course, 
concluded that there must be an end of gun and 
all that accompanied it; but first the driver get¬ 
ting up and shaking himself, and then the horses 
following his example, showed that they had not 
suffered much by preferring this short way to the 
bottom; and on further examination, it was found 










WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 135 

that neither gun nor carriage had sustained any 
serious damage. 

Having cleared the pass, we continued our march 
a few miles, and encamped close to the village of 
Kooshlac. Immediately the hills hid Quettah from 
our view, there seemed to be a depression removed 
from our spirits. The valley in which we had now 
entered appeared more cheerful, and the inhabit¬ 
ants struck us as being of a more energetic and 
light-hearted disposition than those of the district 
we had just left. Our encamping-ground was 
good, we had excellent grazing for our cattle, and 
were enabled to obtain some trifling supplies of 
forage and grain. 

On the 7th we continued our march to Hyderzye 
over a flat and uninteresting country, intersected 
by numerous ravines, which presented some trifling 
obstacles to the passage of the guns ; at several, 
the assistance of the infantry, with the drag-ropes, 
was required. We were also a good deal delayed 
in working the guns over a river, the bed of which 
was composed of deep and adhesive mud. Our 
encampment was near the village of Hyderzye, 
which, like all other villages in this country, was 
small, irregular, mud-built, and fortified. 

On the 8th we resumed our march to Hykulzie, 
over a particularly easy country, and encamped 
some distance from the town on fine open ground. 
Supplies of grain, &c., although in small quantities, 
were brought into camp by the natives from the 







136 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

neighbouring villages, a few of which we saw 
studded about the plain. On the 9tli we halted, 
— several of the officers rode toward Hykulzie. 
The country, in the immediate vicinity, was much 
intersected by nullahs; and one of the largest vil¬ 
lages, about four miles from camp, was quite de¬ 
serted, and almost in ruins. Hykulzie, and its 
neighbourhood, have obtained a degree of notoriety 
from having been the scene of the repulse, by Ma¬ 
li ommed Zadeek, of General England’s force, in 
March 1842. 

To-day we received our letters by the overland 
mail, the more welcome from being unexpected. 

On the 10th we marched to Syed Rokun Kagote, 
a distance of between seven or eight miles,—road, 
until near camp, very good and level; then, how¬ 
ever, we were obstructed by a most formidable ra¬ 
vine, extending for a great distance, and with highly 
precipitous banks. There were the remains of a 
road which had evidently been constructed at some 
former period for guns, but which had now been 
almost completely washed away. We were con¬ 
sequently much delayed, but at length succeeded 
in getting everything over in safety, and halted near 
the small village on good, open, and extensive en- 
cam ping-ground. 

On the 11th we marched to Arumbee, a distance 
of seven miles, crossed a small branch of the river 
Lalie, and encamped on its right bank. Near us 
a number of natives had pitched their tents, and 



















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


137 


shortly after our arrival visited us, bringing with 
them, for sale, quantities of beautiful grapes, apri¬ 
cots, &c. 

On the 12th of October, we marched to Killa 
Abdoolah, six miles and a half, and encamped near 
a small fort, situated close to the range of the Kojuk 
Mountains, the northern boundary to the Pesheen 
Valley. According to Mr. Elphinstone, the Valley 
of Shawl excels in fertility that of Pesheen; but, 
from what I observed in the neighbourhood of 
Quettah, and on our march to this place, I must 
beg to differ from so high an authority. 

Our next march,/ through the Kojuk Pass, be¬ 
ing a very difficult one, it was deemed expedient 
to get as many of our camels as possible across the 
mountain before the troops should enter the defile. 
Captain White, with the light and No. 7 company, 
was directed to take charge of the heavy baggage, 
and proceed with it, under his escort, to our next 
halting-ground, Chummum, in the country of the 
Atchikzyes, one of the Douranee clans. He ac¬ 
cordingly started on this service about two in the 
afternoon of the 13th. 

To-day (13th) the two officers stationed with the 
detachment of Sepoys, at Killa Abdoolah, dined 
with us; glad to avail themselves of the oppor¬ 
tunity, so seldom afforded them on their out-post 
duty, of mixing with their fellow-countrymen. 

On the 14th we started at three am, and having 
entered the defile in the mountain, reached the 









138 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

bottom of the grand ascent about half past six. 
There being no opposition to our march, we thought 
it best to conduct everything systematically, and 
with a due regard to comfort. So having piled 
arms, and unjoked horses and bullocks from the 
guns and wagons, fires were lighted, and prepara¬ 
tions commenced for breakfast previous to entering 
on the arduous task of dragging the guns up the 
hill,—a duty which, from the extreme slipperiness, 
narrowness, and many windings of the road prevent¬ 
ing the horses being of service, devolved entirely 
on the men. While the tea was preparing I 
ascended the hill, and was gratified with a most 
magnificent view of the surrounding country. The 
bold rugged mountains, which were beautifully 
wooded, extending on either side as far as the eye 
could reach, presented a picture sublimely grand, 
and the white tents of the small portion of our 
force which had preceded us the day before, pitched 
at the foot of the hills, in the valley below, added 
a pleasing and graceful interest to the scene. 

The road, which on entering the pass was good 
and wide enough to admit troops and camels, had 
at this place where we halted become narrower. 
There were two paths to the top of the mountain; 
the one to the left being easier for guns, the other 
was open for the passage of the few camels which 
accompanied us. 

The ceremony of breakfast being now finished, 
and a strong guard placed over the arms and knap- 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


139 


sacks, the remainder of the force was formed into 
fatigue parties, and at eight o’clock commenced 
working up the guns. The length of the ascent was 
nearly half a mile; it occupied about fifty minutes 
in getting the first gun on the table-land at the 
top. The rest of the nine-pounders and the five 
wagons soon followed, and by twelve o’clock all had 
reached the summit. Having corrected the meri¬ 
dian and refreshed ourselves with a short rest, we 
resumed our labour, which was not yet half finished. 
The descent on the northern side of the mountains 
was very precipitous, and at the commencement of 
the narrow road, in which were two exceedingly 
sharp and awkward turnings, proved a much more 
serious operation than the ascent, being rendered 
more dangerous and difficult of passage from the 
steep precipice on its left. 

However, to work we went with the utmost pru¬ 
dence and caution ; wheels were locked, and strong 
parties of men with drag-ropes attached to each 
gun, to regulate and impede its progress down 
the hill. We were just beginning to congratulate 
ourselves on having accomplished the labours of 
the day without any mishap, save the loss of a few 
camels that had fallen over the crags and been 
dashed to pieces, when, much to our regret, we found 
that the drag-chain had been taken too soon off the 
last gun, which thus gaining additional velocity, 
became unmanageable, knocked an artillery-man 
down, and, passing over his foot, lamed him for life. 








140 FOUR years’ service in the east 

A light wagon, the private property of our Com¬ 
mandant of artillery, also got free of the drag-chain, 
and rolling over the precipice, was, with all it con¬ 
tained, almost completely destroyed; the fragments 
were, however, picked up and brought into camp. 

The horses and bullocks were now put into the 
guns and wagons, and the men having resumed 
their arms, and the parties from the heights being 
withdrawn, we continued our march, reaching camp 
about half-past six, tolerably fagged with our day’s 
work—the most fatiguing we had yet had. 

The distance from Killa Abdoola to Chummum 
is eleven miles and a half, and the time we occu¬ 
pied in traversing it unopposed was upwards of 
fifteen hours. 

Finding water at Chummum in greater quan¬ 
tities than we expected, Major Hibbert determined 
on halting the following day. It was intended that 
our next march should be on Puttonali Killa; but 
learning during the 15th, that water there was ex¬ 
cessively scarce as well as bad, our route was altered 
to Kalzie, a distance of upwards of thirty miles. 

The artillery, escorted by two companies, left 
camp about five p. M. on the 15th, and the infantry 
marched the same night at eleven, and moving over 
a desert plain, reached Kalzie about ten the fol¬ 
lowing morning, encamping near a large pool of 
brackish water. 

We had now two hundred men in hospital, and 
our cattle were completely exhausted from the 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, 


141 


severity of the march across the Kojuk, the limited 
supplies of forage at Chummum, and the general 
scarcity and badness of the water. 

Our Bheesties assured us that the brackish pool 
was the only place in the neighbourhood from which 
to procure water. After a little inquiry, however, 
we ascertained that about three-quarters of a mile 
off, near the hills, there was an excellent stream; 
and having assured ourselves of this fact and that 
the water was of good quality, it was determined 
that the detachment should halt until the 18tli; 
we then again resumed our march on Mile-i- 
Munda,—the road good, the country as we neared 
Candahar becoming more rugged and beautiful. 
Numbers of the Candaharees came out to meet 
us here, bringing supplies of delicious grapes, pome¬ 
granates, &c. On the 19th, we marched to Tuk- 
ta Poole, on the banks of the Doree River, where 
we encamped. The country between this and Ko- 
juk is exceedingly barren; considerable difficulty 
was experienced at almost every halting-place in 
getting water, and that which we did procure was 
generally brackish. 

On the 20th we marched to Deh-i-Hadjie, a dis¬ 
tance of fourteen miles. The country was still rocky 
and barren. It being uncertain whether the road 
hence to Candahar laid down in the route fur¬ 
nished us by the Quartermaster-general, could at 
this season be practicable, Lieutenant T. Nelson, 
who was staff-officer to the force, and myself, were 











142 FOUR years’ service in the east 

directed to move on in advance to Candahar, for 
the double purpose of reporting on the road and 
of taking over the barracks in which our regiment 
was to be quartered, so as to admit of the men 
occupying them on arrival. In pursuance of orders, 
we accordingly set off late in the afternoon, with a 
small escort of 44 Skinner’s Horse,” bivouacking when 
night closed in near a small village; and the fol¬ 
lowing morning early we proceeded on our journey 
to the late Douranee capital. A few miles from 
our encampment we met two suwars, who were 
going out with letters to our camp. By them, 
Nelson received a letter from Captain Ripley, Fort- 
adjutant at Candahar, conveying intelligence of dis¬ 
turbances in the north, and the disasters which 
had attended some of our operations there. The 
illusion that Affghanistan was in a state of tran¬ 
quillity and perfectly satisfied with the existing rule, 
was now at an end. The events above referred to 
were but a prelude to the storm of strife and blood 
which was impending. 

The dark cloud of rebellion was gathering un¬ 
heeded, yet not unseen ; and though forewarned of 
the danger that was hanging over their self-de¬ 
voted heads, no measures were taken, no precau¬ 
tions adopted by those at the head of affairs in Aff¬ 
ghanistan, to stem the fury of a torrent which in its 
headlong course was to carry destruction to a Bri¬ 
tish army, and attach a disgrace to our arms unpre¬ 
cedented and unequalled in the annals of British 
history. 














WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, 


148 


On the morning of the 21st, we reached Can- 
dahar and proceeded to the house of Captain 
Ripley, with whom we breakfasted. Haying found 
the country between Deh-i-Hadjie and Candahar 
perfectly impracticable, on account of its general 
inundation for the purposes of agriculture, and ex¬ 
perienced much difficulty in riding through it our¬ 
selves, a guide was dispatched to our small force 
with a view of bringing them by a different 
route. After breakfast we called on Colonel 
Mac Laren, commanding the garrison in the ab¬ 
sence of General Nott,—who was moving through 
the districts in the neighbourhood collecting tri¬ 
bute, and then proceeded to inspect the barracks 
which we w r ere to occupy. They had been built 
originally for native troops, but to us who had, for 
three years, been accustomed to canvas, they ap¬ 
peared a sort of palace. They were situated to 
the north-west of Candahar, between the city and 
the Baboo walla Pass; there were three distinct 
sets of barracks for the men, built in line, having 
a space of two hundred or three hundred yards 
between each. The square on the right was 
handed over to us for the 40th: on its right, 
and about two hundred yards to the rear, was the 
hospital,—a rectangular comfortable-looking build¬ 
ing, enclosing a small square. In the rear of the 
hospital about two hundred and fifty yards, and to 
the right, w T ere the barracks for the officers of the 
corps occupying the right barrack,—this was a long 







144 FOUR years’ service in the east 

narow building containing thirty-two rooms, exclu¬ 
sive of mess-room. It was not, however, completed 
on our arrival. 

On the left, and on the same line, with a space 
of two hundred or three hundred yards between, 
was a similar range of buildings, also unfinished, 
for the officers of the corps occupying the barracks 
on the left. The general magazine for the canton¬ 
ment was in line with the hospital, and in rear of 
the centre barracks. The barracks were built of 
mud and brick like the houses generally, wood be¬ 
ing scarce, indeed almost unprocurable in sufficient 
strength for such a purpose. The roofs were all 
arched; their conical shape presented a curious ap¬ 
pearance very much resembling enormous bee-hives. 
There were no defensive communications between 
the detached squares and buildings ; on the right 
they were flanked at the distance of about one 
hundred yards by a deep water-cut, two or three 
ruined villages, and some burying-grounds. In front 
there was a parade-ground, circumscribed, however, 
by deep and rugged hills, which, rising abruptly 
about two hundred yards in front of the men’s 
barracks, divided the Candahar Valley from that of 
the Urghundaub. On the left flank were innu¬ 
merable water-courses, ravines, and gardens; and 
on the rear, between cantonments and the city, 
was an extensive plain. 

From the above imperfect description it will be 
remarked that the cantonments at Candahar not 
















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


145 


only extended over a large tract of country, but 
were badly planned, and difficult, if not incapable, 
of defence. 

On the 21st we had the pleasure of dining 
with the 16th regiment Bengal N. I., one of the 
officers of which, Mr. Burnett, I had known in 
former days, when he was adjutant of the Joud- 
pore legion. After walking about, we returned to 
our tent, which had been pitched near the canton¬ 
ments, to dress for dinner; when we were surprised 
to see at it a guard of Sepoys. On inquiry, the 
naique told us they had been sent there by order of 
the Colonel Sahib. At dinner we took an opportu¬ 
nity of thanking him for this very great, and as 
we thought, superfluous mark of attention; he 
assured us, however, that such precautions were 
quite necessary in this country. At night, when 
we rose to depart, we were still more astonished 
to find that our kind friends not only insisted on 
our taking swords with us, (we had not brought 
our own) but would not let us move without an 
orderly. They remarked that we were most im¬ 
prudent in going about unarmed in the manner 
in which they observed we did:—after-events proved 
that there was discretion in their advice. 

On the 22nd we dined with the 43rd Bengal 
N. I., the officers of which, like those of the 16tli, 
were delighted to see us, not only from hospitable 
feelings, but, as the arrival of the 40th was to be 
the signal for their return to India. Little did we 

L 















146 FOUR years’ service in the east 

think that night, that in a few months we were to 
perform under the illustrious Nott a series of ope¬ 
rations which have won for this distinguished and 
lamented officer the gratitude and admiration of 
his country. 

On the 23rd, H. M. 40th and Blood’s nine-pounder 
battery, marched into Candahar, Nelson and myself 
riding out to meet them. From them we learned 
that the road by which they had been brought that 
morning, was the worst they had yet encountered— 
a network of ravines and water-courses, and, in 
many places, inundated ; in fact, the staff appeared 
to have had very little knowledge of the surround¬ 
ing country. 

Ukrum Khan, a celebrated rebel chief, was this 
morning to be blown away from a gun. Our de¬ 
tachment was ordered to march through the town 
to cantonments, as in case there should be any 
emeute , it was wished that the execution should take 
place while we were in the city. On arrival at the 
gate by which we were to enter, it was found 
that the bridge leading to it over a deep water¬ 
course was not wide enough to admit of the guns 
going over,—a fact which we thought might have 
been known to some of those staff-officers who 
for several years had been stationed at Candahar: 
the guns were therefore taken direct to canton¬ 
ments. 

While marching through the city, the report of 
a gun was heard, which told that the career of 









WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


147 


Ukrum Mahommed Khan had closed. Judging 
from the apparent indifference of the populace, 
one would suppose that such executions were of fre¬ 
quent occurrence. 

Candahar* is a large city, built in the midst of 

* “ The city of Candahar is large and populous. Heraut and 
Candahar are the only cities in the Douranee country, and, except 
Furree, probably the only places which ever merit the name of a 
town. The ancient city is sometimes said to have been founded 
by Lohrasp, a Persian king, who flourished in times of very re¬ 
mote antiquity, and to whom also the founding of Heraut is attri¬ 
buted. It is asserted by others, with far greater probability, to 
have been built by Sewnder Goolkuruyne ; that is, by Alexander 
the Great. The traditions of the Persians here agree with the 
conjectures of European geographers, who fix on this site for one 
of the cities called Alexandria. 

“ The ancient city stood till the reign of the Ghiljies, when 
Shah Hussian founded a new city, under the name of Hussian- 
abad. Nadir Shah attempted again to alter the site of the town, 
and built Nadirabad; at last, Ahmed Shah founded the present 
city (1753 or 1754), to which he gave the name of Ahmed 
Shauhee, and the title of Astrufool Beloud , or the noblest of 
cities : by that name and title it is still mentioned in public 
papers, and in the language of the Court; but the old name of 
Candahar still prevails among the people, though it has lost its 
rhyming addition of Daurool Kurrar, or the abode of quiet. 
Ahmed Shah himself marked out the limits of the present city, 
and laid down the regular plan, which is still so remarkable in its 
execution : he surrounded it with a wall, and proposed to have 
added a ditch ; but the Dooraunees are said to have objected to 
his fortifications, and to have declared that their ditch was the 
Chemin of Bistaun (a meadow near Bistaun, in the most western 
part of Persian Khorassan). Candahar was the capital of the 
Douranee Empire in Ahmed Shah’s time, but Timur changed 
the seat of government to Caubul .”—Elphinstones Account of the 
Kingdom of Caubul, vol. ii. p. 129. 

l 2 







148 FOUR years’ service in the east 

a plain, and surrounded by high mud walls that 
form an irregular pentagon : a deep dry ditch en¬ 
virons the wall. The streets are very narrow but 
regularly built. In the heart of the town, where 
the four principal streets meet, is a large dome 
called the Charsoo, from a hook in the centre of 
which the bodies of criminals who have been exe¬ 
cuted are exposed. 

There is a citadel inside, which comprises the pa¬ 
lace and other public buildings; in front of this is 
a large square. There is nothing of architectural 
beauty in the palace, or indeed in any building 
in Candahar, if we except the tomb erected to the 
memory of Ahmed Shah, the founder of the Dou- 
ranee Empire,—a large octagonal structure with a 
handsome, lofty, and elegantly-painted dome. “ It 
“ is held,” writes Mr. Elphinstone, “ in high estima- 
“ tion by the Douranees, and is an asylum against 
“ all enemies, even the king not venturing to touch 
“ a man who has taken refuge there.” 

The valley of Candahar is rich and highly culti¬ 
vated, but is of little extent, being surrounded 
and circumscribed by mountain and desert. 

The day after our arrival had been fixed on for 
a race, open to all horses—the prize being a sword 
given by his Highness Prince Timour Shah. We of 
the Bombay force had received no warning of this 
event, and had not put our horses in training; not¬ 
withstanding which, and the Bengallees having 
had plenty of time for preparation, we entered 







WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


149 


some of our nags, and a Duck* horse proved vic¬ 
torious. 

Captain Haldane, with two rissallahs of Skin¬ 
ner’s, followed us from Quettah and brought up 
with him a portion of the heavy baggage, which, 
for want of camels, we had been obliged to leave 
behind. 

General Nott having returned to garrison, ar¬ 
rangements were commenced to enable the brigade, 
consisting of the 16th, 42nd, and 43rd Bengal 
N. I., to return to India ; they had pitched their 
camp some distance from the walls, when the con¬ 
tinual alarming reports from the north decided 
the General in detaining them for some days. 

Dispatches were a few days after received from 
the Envoy, requiring the services of this brigade 
at Cabul, should they not have passed the Kojuk 
Mountains ; they were immediately ordered to ad¬ 
vance on that city, and left Candahar about the 
beginning of November, under the command of 
Colonel Mac La^en, the senior officer. After having 
advanced till within four marches of Ghuznee, the 
Commander of this brigade determined on retracing 
his stejDS to Candahar,—the advanced season of the 
year and the inclemency of the weather, rendering 
it in his opinion impossible to proceed. Of course, 
as in all similar cases, there were many who dis¬ 
agreed with the Colonel as to the propriety and 

* “ Buck,” a pet name for the Bombay Presidency—Bengal 
being distinguished as “ Qui hi,” and Madras as “ Mulls.” 












150 FOUR years’ service in the east 

expediency of this step, and many were the conjee, 
tures indulged in as to the effect his persisting in 
moving on would have had, and how far matters at 
Cabul would have been influenced thereby. One 
thing is beyond a doubt, that had he advanced, 
and the defeat of his brigade been added to the 
number of reverses we at this time encountered, 
the small force left at Candahar—although I con¬ 
sider it superior to anything that was ever brought 
against us—would have been placed in a different 
position from that we were enabled to assume dur¬ 
ing the winter of 1841 and 1842 by the return of 
Colonel Mac Laren’s brigade,—as, in such an event, 
all our acts must have been entirely and essentially 
defensive. 

I had often heard of the vast superiority in 
appearance of the Bengal Sepoys over those of the 
other Presidencies; and when I saw them paraded 
I was certainly in no way disappointed. Of the 
splendid regiments stationed with us at Candahar, 
viz. the 2nd, 16th, 88th, 42nd, and r 43rd regiments 
of Bengal N. I., it would have been difficult to say 
which had the superiority. I think, however, that 
without being accused of making any invidious dis¬ 
tinction, I may particularize the 16th as being the 
finest infantry regiment I have ever seen. 

On our first arrival here we had some capital 
shooting, and several of our sportsmen were very 
successful in their attacks on woodcock, numbers of 
this bird, but of rather a smaller size than those in- 













WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 151 

digenous to England, being found in tlie orchards: 
there was also excellent fishing in the Urghendaub. 
But both these amusements were now put a stop 
to; the most distressing and desponding accounts 
from Cabul continued to reach us, and the natives 
of this part of Afghanistan were beginning to as¬ 
sume a very different manner toward us. A few 
matchlock balls came unpleasantly near the heads 
of some of our Nimrods, and at length communica¬ 
tion on every side was cut off, and we were placed 

in a complete state of blockade, and could not even 

/ 

walk through the city without being well armed. 

An insurrection being expected in the city, we 
were, during the greater part of the month of 
December, obliged to furnish a company of Euro¬ 
peans to keep guard over the guns, all of winch 
had been brought thither. 







152 FOUR years’ service in the east 


CHAPTER XIV. 

Colonel Mac Laren’s Brigade detained at Candahar.— Disaffection 
of the Affghans.—Alarm on Christmas-Day.—-Murder of Lieu¬ 
tenant Golding.—The Jan Baz.—Defeat of Jan Baz by Captain 
Leeson.—Prince Suffer Jhung joins Enemy’s Camp.—Difficulty 
in obtaining Supplies.—Battle of Urghundaub.—General Nott 
receives Instructions to evacuate Candahar. 


The disturbed state of the country having de¬ 
termined General Nott to detain Colonel Mac 
Laren’s brigade at Candahar, the troops were dis¬ 
posed of in the following manner :—The whole of 
the artillery, 38th, 42nd, and 43rd regiments of 
Bengal N. I., two regiments of Shah’s infantry, and 
Skinner’s Horse, remained in garrison, under the 
immediate command of General Nott; H. M. 40th, 
the 2nd and 16th regiments of Bengal N. I., and a 
regiment of Shah’s cavalry, under Colonel Mac 
Laren, occupied cantonments. 

The extent of the dislike to the presence of the 
Feringhees in their country was daily becoming 
more evident among the Affghans; and there were 
but few who doubted the existence of a general 
and well-organised plan of operations throughout 
the whole country,—a plan having for its object the 
expulsion of the British from Affghanistan—and 










WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


153 


which, if not originating with, was certainly ac¬ 
quiesced in and encouraged by, Shah Soojah, who, 
now considering himself secure on the throne, had 
become tired of the restraint which our presence 
imposed upon him. 

The details of the disasters at Cabal are familiar 
to every one—the bitter remembrance of them can 
never be effaced from the hearts of Englishmen. 
In reflecting upon them, or on the events which 
preceded them, there is not one bright spot to which 
it is possible to refer. The fact that these dis¬ 
asters were not brought about by the mutiny, de¬ 
fection, or other misconduct of our soldiers, may 
indeed be some consolation; but it heightens the re¬ 
gret that troops, possessing those noble qualifica¬ 
tions of soldiers which the devoted army of Cabul 
evinced to the last, should have been sacrificed 
by mismanagement, or have become the victims of 
an infatuation, the monstrous excess of which it 
is hardly possible adequately to conceive. 

There are no terms harsh enough to express 
our intense abhorrence of the foul massacre of 
the Cabul army, nor can anything extenuate the 
perfidious conduct of the Affghans; but in con¬ 
demning, however justly, the actions of others, we 
must also consider how far we may have drawn on 
ourselves the dreadful calamities left us to de¬ 
plore. Does the review of the past in Affghanistan 
justify us in maintaining that our conduct there was 
without reproach ? Had all our arrangements and 





154 FOUR years’ service in the east 

engagements with the natives of that country been 
strictly and inviolably observed? Was there no 
breach of faith, no disregard of promises, to cause 
doubts of our integrity, or of our intentions, should 
fortuitous events have placed the army, which was 
afterwards destroyed, in a position where might 
would have empowered, if a sense of right would 
not have justified, our non-observance of those obli¬ 
gations? I fear to these questions no satisfactory 
answer can be given : it therefore becomes an ad¬ 
ditional source of humiliation, that we cannot assert 
that our actions were irreproachable. It must ever 
be borne in mind, that the rights of the Affghans, 
as a nation, had been causelessly assailed,—their 
feelings wantonly insulted ; that they felt degraded 
by our surveillance , and were anxious to throw off 
our yoke. They had grounds for the indulgence of 
revengeful passions; and had their cause not been 
stained by the commission of those acts of treachery , 
by which our disasters were completed , they must have 
claimed the admiration which would have been due 
to a people combating to the death for their as¬ 
saulted freedom. 

On the evening of Christmas-day, 1841, we were 
disturbed while at dinner by the firing from the 
piquets on the left of cantonments. The alarm was 
sounded, and officers immediately repaired to the 
barrack-square, where their men had fallen-in. 
What an easy matter, it then most forcibly struck 
us, would it have been for a few horsemen to have 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


155 


come down, under cover of the darkness, and cut 
up the officers, as they moved along the level plain, 
between their own quarters and those of the men ! 

The troops, being paraded, were marched out and 
formed on the plain in rear of cantonments. On 
inquiry, we ascertained that the firing was in conse¬ 
quence of an attempt having been made by a few 
Affghans to cut down some of the picquets ; and as 
it appeared that no further annoyance might be 
anticipated, we were directed to return to our bar¬ 
racks—not, however, without having elicited a re¬ 
mark from the General, that it would perhaps have 
been more prudent had our chief allowed the troops 
to remain in the barrack-squares until it was known 
whether their services would be required—and if 
so, when; instead of abandoning the barracks, hos¬ 
pital, &c., to the charge of only a very small and 
insufficent guard. After dismissing the men, we 
returned to our Christmas dinner, the enjoyment of 
which was not heightened by this untimely inter¬ 
ruption. 

On the morning of the 27tli we were suddenly 
disturbed in cantonments by a considerable uproar 
in the city, and the noise of our guns moving about. 
We fully anticipated being called on, conceiving 
that the spirit of insurrection, which doubtless had 
extended itself there, was about to break forth. 
The cause of the turmoil was soon explained, by 
the horrifying relation of perhaps one of the most 
cowardly transactions on the part of the Affghans 







156 FOUR years’ service in the east 

that have ever disgraced that nation. A corps 
of Jan Baz (a sort of irregular cavalry in the ser¬ 
vice of the Shah, officered from the Indian army), 
commanded by Lieutenant Golding, had been or¬ 
dered to proceed on duty to Ghirisk. They had, 
it seems, shown some disaffection on the orders 
being communicated; but after explanations, their 
objections appeared to be removed, and all was 
settled that they were to march en route for their 
destination on the morning of the 27th,—Lieutenant 
Patterson, an officer in the Political Department, 
being ordered to accompany them. On the 26th 
Mr. Golding dined in cantonments. On returning 
to his camp, which was close under the walls of 
Candahar, he entered his tent, followed by about 
twenty of his men. They almost immediately at¬ 
tacked him sword in hand; upon which he rushed 
for his pistols, but found the charges had been 
drawn by his assailants during his absence. He 
then seized his sword, in the hope of being able 
to defend himself until assistance should arrive; 
but of this means of defence he had also been de¬ 
prived, for the villains, with a precaution suggested 
by cowardice of the most revolting nature, had tied 
the sword to the scabbard—thus preventing their 
victim from defending himself, or inflicting any in¬ 
jury on his assailants. All hope was now at an end, 
and he fell under the repeated blows of his relent¬ 
less, dastardly, and demoniacal assassins. Mr. Pat¬ 
terson, drawn by the noise to the tent of his friend, 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


157 


was also attacked, dreadfully mutilated, and left for 
dead. He was, however, afterwards carried into 
garrison by his servants. 

Mr. Golding I had not the pleasure of knowing 
further than by report. Had kindness and atten¬ 
tion to the wants of his men sufficed to have secured 
for him their affections, he ought to have possessed 
those of his corps in an eminent degree. 

The miscreants, immediately after the perpetra¬ 
tion of the crime, absconded, carrying off a consi¬ 
derable sum, which they were to have taken to 
Ghirisk for political purposes. It had for some time 
been agreed among the different Jan Baz corps 
that their officers were to be murdered—a conspi¬ 
racy which unfortunately, both here and to the 
north, had been carried into effect—a circumstance 
which goes far to prove that the insurrection in 
Affghanistan had been long and expertly organised. 
The intention was that Golding should not have 
been murdered until the corps had made one march 
from Candahar. What could have induced them to 
alter their resolution it is difficult to comprehend. 

A troop of horse-artillery, with some of the 
Shah’s cavalry, under Captain Leeson, were ordered 
off early in the morning after the Jan Baz. The 
former were, however, recalled ; but Leeson with 
his troopers moved on, and after a smart ride came 
upon the greater portion of the objects of their 
search, the remainder having moved off by another 
direction with the treasure. On seeing Leeson ad- 








158 FOUR years’ service in the east 

vance they drew up on the plain, and as he ap¬ 
proached met his charge resolutely. A spirited 
contest ensued ; but the enemy were routed, leaving 
about sixty or eighty on the field, among whom 
was the principal instigator of the murder, an officer 
in the corps. His head was brought in and hung 
up in the Charsoo. At the request, however, of 
the Prince, the Political had it taken down, it being 
repugnant to the feelings of the true Moslems to 
see the head of a believer exposed, whose only 
offence, in their eyes, was ridding the world of a 
44 dog of an infidel.” 

Two days after Golding's murder, Prince Suffer 
Jhung, son of Shah Soojah, and a Worthy member 
of an ungrateful and treacherous brood, decamped 
from garrison, and joined Actar Mahommed Khan, 
a Ghilzie chief, who was assembling a large army 
for our winter’s entertainment. 

We now began to experience great difficulty in 
obtaining supplies; many patrols of the enemy were 
moving about the country, threatening the villagers 
with death and destruction should they in any way 
assist us; foraging parties were sent out two and 
three times a-week, on which occasions they had 
always a brush with the enemy’s patrols, and in¬ 
variably sustained a loss. On. the 11th of January, 
1842, information was brought in that the Prince 
and Actar Mahommed were advancing on Canda- 
har, and our General determined that he would 
meet them half way. Our temporary doors and 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


159 


windows were therefore unscrewed, and the sick 
in cantonments, with all the baggage there, were 
ordered into garrison—a step which, from the strag¬ 
gling and indefensible nature of our barracks, to 
which I have before alluded, was rendered neces¬ 
sary on every occasion that we had to move out. 

On the morning of the 12th of January the fol¬ 
lowing force, the command of which was assumed 
by General Nott, rendezvou’ed at cantonments:— 
Blood’s company of artillery (four nine-pounders); 
two troops of Shah’s horse-artillery (six six-pounders 
each), under Captain Anderson; a regiment of 
Shah’s cavalry, under Captain Leeson; two rissallahs 
of Skinner’s Horse, under Captain Haldane; H.M. 
40th, 2nd, 16th, and 38th; one wing of the 43rd 
Bengal N. I., and the 3rd regiment of Shah’s 
infantry. 

H.M. 40th, 2nd, and 16tb regiments formed the 
right column, under Colonel MacLaren, and were 
directed to advance to the Urghundaub Valley, 
through the Baboowalla Pass (a narrow gorge be¬ 
tween two hills of no great extent). The remainder 
of the force moved round the hills to the left, a 
distance of three or four miles. The pass, not¬ 
withstanding its being only about two miles from 
Candahar, and on the direct road to a luxuriantly 
cultivated and thickly inhabited valley, was quite 
impracticable for guns or cavalry, although a very 
few hours’ labour would have rendered it com¬ 
pletely otherwise. 







160 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

Our light companies were thrown out as we ap¬ 
proached the pass, but no opposition was here 
offered to us, although from the number of small 
parties of the enemy in sight, we fully expect¬ 
ed its occupation to be disputed : they, however, as 
we advanced, retired on their main body, which 
on clearing the pass we could see drawn up about 
four miles on the opposite side of the river, pre¬ 
senting from its number and their many gay and 
floating banners a very imposing appearance. On 
either side of the Urghundaub River extend for miles 
numerous picturesquely-situated villages, connected 
with each other by rich luxuriant orchards, the 
latter generally surrounded by high mud walls; 
none of these villages on the left bank were, how¬ 
ever, occupied by the enemy. 

General Nott, who had accompanied our brigade, 
determined on moving down the river, effecting a 
junction with the rest of his force, and crossing 
at a ford about two miles below the pass to pro¬ 
ceed at once to the attack ; divining our object, the 
enemy marched in the same direction, and took up 
a very strong position at Killa Shuk, a fortified 
village built on a considerable eminence, and situ¬ 
ated immediately opposite the ford. This village 
formed the centre of their position, and their right 
and left rested on extensive orchards, the mud 
walls surrounding which had been loopholed. In 
front of their position, between the river and fort, 
was a complete swamp, and in their rear an ex¬ 
tensive plain. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 161 

About a quarter past ten, we commenced ford¬ 
ing the river, and in a short time had all crossed, 
no further opposition being offered than a few 
shots fired by some of the enemy’s skirmishers 
at a very long range. The two brigades of in¬ 
fantry were formed in columns en masse at quarter 
distance,—a troop of horse-artillery being on the 
right, the remainder of the guns and cavalry on the 
left. 

Before commencing operations, it was commu¬ 
nicated that a reward of five thousand rupees 
would be given for the head of Actar Mahommed 
Khan. Previous to our crossing the river, the 
skirmishers of the enemy had taken possession of 
the numerous water-courses which intersected the 
marsh between the rival armies. From them an 
incessant but ill-directed fire was maintained on 
our columns. Our guns were now opened on the 
main body, and our light companies proceeded to 
dispute the possession of the water-courses with 
the enemy; owing, however, to some misconcep¬ 
tion, they were recalled,—a step which was greeted 
with a yell of triumph from our opponents, who 
began to think that we had already had enough . 
A slight, spiritless, and ineffectual attempt was 
at this time made on our right flank, but was 
speedily repulsed. Our skirmishers being again 
thrown out, the infantry columns were directed 
to advance, (one regiment being left with the 
guns,) and proceeding slowly and steadily through 


M 







162 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the swamp up to our knees in mud, we neared 
the enemy’s position, who welcomed us with a 
heavy, but fortunately for us exceedingly ineffect¬ 
ual fire. Their line began to waver as we ap¬ 
proached, and when at length the bayonets were 
brought to the charge, and the British cheer struck 
upon their astonished ears, they fell back, broke, 
and retreated in complete disorder across the plain. 
Our cavalry had now to make a wide detour to 
avoid the swamp, and we did not derive the advan¬ 
tage which we should have enjoyed, had they been 
well placed. The enemy continued their retrograde 
movement, but at length rallied and re-formed in 
the plain. Long, however, before the infantry 
could get within musket-sliot of them, they re¬ 
sumed their retreat in good order; our cavalry 
and one of the troops of horse-artillery which had 
now come up, were sent in pursuit, and overtaking 
them, cut up numbers of the infantry, who were 
abandoned to their fate by the suwars. Our 
force engaged this day was three thousand five 
hundred, that of the enemy was estimated at 
eighteen or twenty thousand. Our loss was slight, 
six or eight officers wounded, and a few men 
killed and wounded; that of the enemy was said 
to have been very great, which I can easily ima¬ 
gine—our artillery, which was beautifully served, 
having had such dense masses on which to 
play. 

Prince Sufter Jhung and Actar Mahommed 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


163 


Khan commanded in person ; the latter rode 
about enveloped in a shroud, expressing to his 
followers his determination to die in the field 
rather than yield. However, he seemed to have 
heard that discretion is valour’s better part, and 
that 

“ He who fights and runs away, 

Will live to fight another day.” 

So it was with these chiefs. The Killadar of Killa 
Shuk being asked what induced him to join the 
enemy, answered, “ My Prince and my chief called 
me to the field, and I could not refuse; they were, 
however, the first to run away, and I believe the 
Kaffers are running yet! ” 

Finding our pursuit of this broken and dispersed 
enemy to be labour in vain, we directed our steps 
on Candahar, and crossed the Urghundaub consider¬ 
ably lower down than we had in the morning, and 
at a place which, for its depth, and the rapidity of 
the stream, had little claim indeed to the name of 
ford: after some difficulty, however, we managed 
to get across, and had just time to re-form, when a 
large body of horsemen appeared in our front. We 
concluded that the sports of the day were not yet 
over, and prepared for another brush. The leader 
of this fresh force, Mirza Ahmed, a quondam ally, 
persuaded our Political that his diposition towards 
us was most friendly, and that he had only come 
out to assist us ; consequently we were not al¬ 
lowed to slip at him. As a proof of the sincerity 





164 FOUR years’ service in the east 

of his regard, he and his men joined the enemy 
on the following morning. 

Continuing our march, we reached cantonments 
late in the evening, and from our kits being shut 
up in garrison, had the satisfaction of bivouacking 
in our wet clothes during the remainder of a cold 
freezing night. 

Thus ended the “ Battle of Urghundaub,” the first 
success after our recent disasters at Cabul , although 
that honour has been awarded to another distin¬ 
guished force, the Governor-general having, in a 
notification dated Benares the 22nd of April 1842, 
communicating the defeat of Akbar Khan by the 
“ illustrious garrison at Jellalabad,” congratulated 
the army on the return of victory to its ranks. 

The success at Candahar on the 12th of January 
was most complete, and in its results most import¬ 
ant. The victory having been obtained over a force 
so immensely superior to that which was opposed to 
it by the British, most effectually damped the spirit 
of our enemies in this part of the country, and 
destroyed the prestige prevailing that with the 
disasters of Cabul the glory of our arms had de¬ 
parted. 

Next morning we learned that Mirza Ahmed 
had been moving about all the preceding day in 
the vicinity of Candahar,—doubtless with the laud¬ 
able intention of cutting up our force on their 
retreat after defeat, which was looked upon as 
certain; or of assisting our enemies in the event 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 165 

of a revolt in the city, which was expected to have 
taken place on the town’s being partially aban¬ 
doned. 

A dispatch detailing the events of the 12th 
was forwarded to Government, but no notification 
proclaimed them to the world. The exploits of 
“ that army which was for so long a time neglected,” 
were then unnoticed, if not disregarded. 

About this time General Nott received instruc¬ 
tions from Cabul to evacuate Candahar, and hand 
it over to the Affghans,—a measure from which 
his gallant spirit revolted, as compliance with 
this order must have affected our national repu¬ 
tation,—striking at the foundation of our power in 
India, and involving the abandonment of our small 
and gallant band at Kelat-i-Gilzie. 

Our opponents, although for the time broken and 
disheartened, had not abandoned their cause; small 
parties kept moving about, pursuing most success¬ 
fully the system of intimidation towards the vil¬ 
lagers. The duties of foraging were very harassing, 
and the success attending them usually but slight; 
our cattle were beginning to die from sheer want; 
the cavalry horses were failing and becoming totally 
unequal to perform the duties required of mounted 
troops; the sheep and cattle which were pro¬ 
curable for the men, appeared as if in the last stage 
of consumption—the carcasses of the former, when 
denuded of their skins, bearing more resemblance 
to stable-lanterns than food for fighting men; while 




166 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the only flour we could obtain for making bread, 
was at least one-third honest desert-sand to two- 
thirds of flour. Added to all this, fuel was difficult 
to be got even in sufficient quantities for the pur¬ 
poses of cooking, much less to enable any one, — 
even the sick in hospital, — to have the indulgence 
of a fire during a season of the year when the cold 
was equal to, if not more intense than the severest 
we had experienced in our fatherland, and felt the 
more from the total want of proper doors and win¬ 
dows in our unfurnished quarters. Nor did all the 
desagremens of our position end here; towards the 
end of the month the enemy, encouraged by the 
accounts of our reverses to the north, had again 
united ; rumours of an intended attack on our can¬ 
tonments were brought in, the plan of operations 
being to assail the isolated quarters of the officers 
first,—an event which to our general surprise had 
not already taken place. Greater precautions were 
now adopted to meet the emergencies threatened: 
Blood’s company with their guns was sent out to 
cantonments ; one-third of the force was kept ac¬ 
coutred day and night; the picquet at the officers’ 
quarters wns strengthened; and on those days which 
were most frequent, when one of the numerous 
spies came in bringing positive information of an 
attack during the night, all hands were kept ready, 
and the officers assembled and remained during the 
night at the men’s barracks. Such was the state 
of affairs at Candahar in January 1842, and such 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, 


167 


it continued during the whole winter, and until the 
arrival of General England in May. No direct at¬ 
tack was ever made on cantonments, but the object 
in harassing our men was sufficiently gained by the 
enemy frequently coming down in small parties at 
night, shouting and firing a few shots, the result of 
which was usually the turn-out of the whole can¬ 
tonment brigade—a disgusting, annoying style of 
service, and the advantage derived by our displaying 
such an excess of alertness very questionable. 









168 FOUR YEARS 7 SERVICE IN THE EAST 


* 


CHAPTER XV 

Steeple Chase at Candahar—Fives Playing.—Force ordered out to 
attack Enemy’s Head-Quarters.—Prevented by Sudden Fall 
of Snow — Sickness at Candahar.-—Want of Medicines.— 
Cholera.—-Death of Lieutenant Armstrong. — Force under 
General Nott takes the Field.—Operations during Six Days. 
—Desperate Night Attack on Candahar.—Its Fortunate Re¬ 
pulse.—-General Nott’s Policy.—Moral Effect Marches. 

Shortly after the events of the Urghundaub, 
arrangements were made among some of the sport¬ 
ing community to get up a steeple-chase. An ex¬ 
cellent piece of gound for this break-neck amuse¬ 
ment was selected close to the walls of Candahar, 
and numerous horses were entered. The eventful 
day dawned at length, and the horses with their 
riders assembled at the starting-post. Among the 
steeds entered was one belonging to Mr. Terry, of 
the Bombay Artillery, the same on which, towards 
the end of last month, after all communication had 
been cut off with Quettah, he had gallantly and by 
himsqlf pushed his way from Killa Abdoolah to 
join his company, which was at Candahar. His 
horse was a small chesnut Arab, and on this occasion 
was ridden by Mr. Eagar of the 40th. Among the 
knowing ones it was looked upon almost as an 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


169 


absurdity,—this horse starting for a steeple-chase 
over a stiff country, where there were so many 
larger and more powerful horses—many of them 
celebrated fencers — to oppose him; however, no¬ 
thing daunted, Terry brought him to the barrier, 
the signal was given and away the field started. 
The first fence brought to a halt all but the little 
Bombay pony, as the chesnut was rather contemptu¬ 
ously called,—he cleared it, but galloping on, fell 
with his rider at the second wall; this enabled some 
of the others to come upon him, but horse and rider 
getting on their legs again, the latter sprang into 
the saddle, continued his course, and after a smart 
contest brought the little Arab in victorious. Thus, 
in this second struggle between the two presiden¬ 
cies for the superiority in horse flesh, a Duck horse 
again carried off the laurel. 

To wile away the time, we constructed a fives- 
court at one end of the officers’ barracks, and in 
this game, from constant practice, we became, we 
flattered ourselves, great adepts: it was our daily 
amusement, and regularly every afternoon large 
parties of officers were to be seen engaged in the 
play, while their movements were invariably watched 
by the enemy’s scouts, a number of whom always 
occupied the Baboowalla Pass. 

Prince Softer Jliung and Actar Mahommed 
Khan, with other influential chiefs, had meanwhile 
assembled a considerable force, and had established 
their head-quarters at Panjwy, a large village on 









170 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the banks of the Turnuk, distant between thirty 
and forty miles. 

Our General determined on moving out to attack 
them, and the troops to accompany him on this 
service received orders to hold themselves in readi¬ 
ness to march on the morning of the 4th of Febru¬ 
ary. Light marching order, in its strictest sense, was 
to be observed; and the troops received intimation 
that no tents would be allowed either to officers or 
men. 

On the 3rd the rain came down in torrents, which 
induced our chief to postpone his meditated expe¬ 
dition for some days. On the morning of the 4th, 
the ground appeared covered several inches deep 
with snow, upon which the General determined to 
abandon for the present all intention of moving any 
portion of his force from garrison. 

For many years we had been sojourning in a land 
of sunny clime; it is impossible to convey an idea 
of the sensations with which this white vestment of 
the ground was regarded. How many pleasing 
reminiscences did it not recal! How many thoughts 
of home and those happy days when— 

“ Releas’d from school, ’twas ours to wage, 

How keenly! bloodless war, 

Tossing the balls in mimic rage 
That left a gorgeous star : 

While doublets dark were powder’d o’er, 

Till darkness none could find ; 

And valorous chiefs had wounds before, 

And caitiff churls behind. 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 171 

“ The snow ! the snow ! it brings to mind 
A thousand happy things, 

And but one sad one—’tis to find 
Too sure that Time hath wings ! 

Oh, ever sweet is sight or sound 
That tells of long ago ; 

And we gazed around with thoughts profound 
Upon the falling snow.” * 

I am not ashamed to confess that we turned out 
in the morning, enjoyed a regular pitched battle 
of snow-balls, and relished it with a zest not sur¬ 
passed in similar contests of by-gone days. 

Fortunately for us, the enemy had as great a 
dislike to expose themselves to the influence of this 
severe weather as we had ; and during the month 
of February, which continued most inclement, we 
were permitted to rest in quiet, our foraging par¬ 
ties even meeting with little obstruction or annoy¬ 
ance, nevertheless getting few supplies for their 
trouble. 

We had all fondly hoped that the climate of Can- 
dahar, which with justice has been represented as 
most salubrious, would have been the means of 
restoring our regiment to perfect health, and di¬ 
minishing the arduous duties of Dr. MacAndrew, 
who was still not only unassisted, but had, in addi¬ 
tion to the medical duties of his own regiment, to 
perform those of the company of artillery under 
Captain Blood. The constitutions of many of our 
men had, however, been undermined in the pestilen- 


* “ Delta,” Blackwood's Magazine. 








172 FOUR years’ service in the east 

tial region of Quettab, and were unable to withstand 
the mordant effects of the cold to which we were 
now exposed. The principal disease from which we 
suffered was “ pneumonia ,” an inflammatory affection 
of the lungs; from this we lost a great many men. 
The supply of medicines, which ought to have been 
forwarded from Dadur to Quettah, and which should 
have come on with the regiment here, did not even 
arrive at the latter station in time to accompany the 
stores which left that camp, some time after our 
departure, in charge of Captain Haldane. From 
this cause we were entirely destitute of all medicines 
during the whole winter at Candahar , and until the 
arrival of supplies with General England's force in 
May 1S42. The native medicines were almost 
useless; therefore, when considering the sufferings 
of the troops from sickness, it is easy to conceive 
how unsatisfactory, if not hopeless, was the per¬ 
formance of medical duties where such small means 
were at the disposal of the surgeons to arrest the 
ravages of dysentery and fever, now becoming 
alarmingly prevalent. 

February passed on with little to interest us; no 
communications from India, Cabul, or elsewhere, 
save by native report, ever reached us. The greater 
portion of our heavy baggage was unavoidably left 
at Quettah, and therewith the very small library 
which we had hitherto succeeded in carrying with 
us. We were thus deprived of the enjoyment 
which its possession afforded, and from the almost 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


173 


total want of books, and the impossibility of in¬ 
dulging in ont-door amusement at any distance 
from our barracks, we were reduced to a* state 
of the most disagreeable and involuntary idleness 
it is possible to conceive, and even derived a sort of 
morbid pleasure from listening to the numerous 
conflicting and disastrous rumours which ever and 
anon reached our force. 

The weather having again become fine, orders 
were issued to the troops that had been named 
to accompany the General in February, to prepare 
to move on the morning of the 7th of March to 
attack the enemy’s head-quarters, which were still 
at Panjwy. The former orders relative to tents and 
other heavy baggage being left behind, were re¬ 
newed. 

On the 4th, a cossid having succeeded in bring¬ 
ing a few letters from Quettah, I received notifi¬ 
cation of my promotion. I handed over to my 
friend T. Nelson the office of Adjutant, whose du¬ 
ties, in consequence of bad health, (from which I 
had long been suffering,) I should have been un¬ 
able, with a proper regard for the interests of the 
service, much longer to have continued. There was 
a satisfaction in learning of my advancement, in¬ 
creased by the knowledge that my successor was 
not surpassed by any adjutant in the service for 
zeal and ability, and equalled by few in esprit de 
corps. 

On the 5th occurred two cases of cholera, both 













174 FOUR years’ service in the east 


of which proved fatal; the one victim, Lieutenant 
Armstrong, the other a sergeant in the 40th. Poor 
Armstrong ! he had been looking forward with ar¬ 
dent pleasure to the expedition on which we were 
about to set out; and little did any of us think that 
one of our last duties, before leaving Candahar at 
this time, would be to consign to his last resting- 
place our merry, warm-hearted, generous Irish 
comrade. 

On the morning of the 7th, General Nott 
marched from Candahar with the following troops : 
Skinner’s horse, Shah’s cavalry, two troops of Shah’s 
artillery, six six-pounders, Captain Blood’s com¬ 
pany, four nine-pounders, H. M. 40th regiment, 
16tli, 38th, 42nd, six companies of the 43rd, and 
a wing of the Shah’s 2nd regiment,— amounting 
in all to about four thousand fighting men. 

After we had proceeded about six miles to the 
south-west of Candahar, a strong body of the en¬ 
emy’s cavalry appeared under the hills on the right 
flank. Three hundred of our cavalry, with two guns, 
were moved out, the enemy retiring, however, as 
they advanced. 

Continuing our march, we came to a small 
village, named Salianna, distant from Candahar 
about eight or ten miles, some distance from which 
we took up our ground, our bivouac forming a hol¬ 
low square, the few baggage-cattle we had with us 
being in the centre. In the afternoon, Lieutenant 
A. Nelson, of the 40th, our Commissary, went 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 175 

with a small detachment to the village, which he 
found deserted; in it were, however, supplies of 
grain and bhoosa (chopped straw) and dried lu- 
cern. These he was beginning to appropriate for 
the force, when of a sudden a large body of cavalry 
appeared on a bill about a mile distant, where they 
took post; from this a strong party detached itself, 
and proceeded towards the village. Nelson fortu¬ 
nately kept a sharp look-out, and was enabled to beat 
his retreat in time. In the evening, about two hun¬ 
dred horsemen came down to reconnoitre our camp; 
an attempt was made to mask a couple of guns, 
but it failed, and the enemy retired on their main 
body, which then moved off. We experienced no 
annoyance during the night. The march of to-day 
was only about ten miles. As a proof of the state of 
inefficiency to which our cavalry were reduced, 
numbers of the horses actually fell down from 
sheer exhaustion, and several had to be shot, being 
unable to proceed. 

During the whole winter at Candahar, and in the 
subsequent operations on the advance to Cabul, the 
want of cavalry both in point of numbers and effi¬ 
ciency, was much and severely felt. I mean to cast 
no imputation on the men composing the corps we 
had ; on the contrary, the spirit was in them, and 
they must indeed have been worse than cowards 
had they hesitated in following their gallant lead¬ 
ers; but it is an indisputable fact, that their horses 
were generally vastly inferior in size, strength, and 







176 FOUR YEARS 5 SERLICE IN THE EAST 

condition to those of the A Afghans, and that gene¬ 
rally the enemy, who are no contemptible cavalry, 
had the advantage of them in numbers. 

But to return from this digression. At day-break 
on the morning of the 8th the troops were under 
arms, and, marching along the valley, left the Ur- 
ghundaub some distance on our right. Having pro¬ 
ceeded a few miles, a bodv of about five thousand 

*/ 

cavalry, with a few infantry, were seen to our left; 
they had taken up a position near some villages 
among the hills. Our columns now wheeled to the 
left, deployed, and advanced. The artillery, opening 
a heavy fire on the enemy’s line, when within about 
one thousand yards, made them beat a retreat, and 
deprived the infantry of every chance of getting near 
them. The Affghans continued to retire, and we to 
pursue, the guns keeping up a brisk fire, and doing 
considerable execution among the heavy goles of 
horse. The ground across which we advanced was 
everywhere intersected by large deep water-courses, 
over which the infantry with difficulty scrambled. 
As to the artillery they did get over them, but how 
was a sort of miracle. 

For three hours and a half, we were kept ad¬ 
vancing in line over this broken country. The in¬ 
fantry never fired a shot, and but a few ineffectual 
rounds were discharged from the enemy’s skir¬ 
mishers ;—in fact, it was quite an 44 artillery affair,” 
although one or two opportunities for the cavalry 
did offer, but of which, from the condition of the 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


177 


horses, we could not take advantage. The practice 
of the nine-pounders to-day, under direction of 
Captain Blood, called forth the admiration of every¬ 
one, and received the marked approbation of the 
General. The enemy having retired across the 
Turnuk, it was not deemed expedient to follow 
them. We moved on Punjwy, which we reached 
late in the afternoon, and found deserted. Here 
we took up ground for the night, which we were 
allowed to pass unmolested. 

9th March.—Under arms again at daylight; and 
directing our movements on Lakanee—a large vil¬ 
lage to which it was reported the enemy had 
changed his head-quarters-—passed near an ex¬ 
tensive range of barren, rugged, but not very 
high hills, known as the Koi Kyber or Small Ky- 
ber. 

These we found occupied by the enemy in great 
numbers. On our approach, we were received by 
a volley from their matchlocks, but aim seemed to 
be no object, as no one was hit. The light compa¬ 
nies of H. M. 40th and the 16th regiments under 
Captain F. White of the 40th, were directed to 
ascend the hills and drive the enemy from them; 
this duty was performed in gallant style. A simi¬ 
lar service was effected with equal spirit on another 
hill by the grenadiers of the 40th, under Lieutenant 
Wakefield. The enemy now fled along the hills. 
Large bodies, principally of infantry, were seen 
moving towards the north, but from the numerous 


N 





















178 FOUR years’ service in the east 

canals and swamps which intervened we could not 
get at them. 

To-day, a youth who had been fighting manfully 
against us was taken prisoner in the hills by some 
of our light company, and was brought before the 
General, who ordered him to be released. He was 
so overwhelmed with this very unexpected mercy, 
so different from what he would have experienced 
at the hands of his own countrymen, that he 
expressed a wish to prove his gratitude, and of¬ 
fered to carry a dispatch to Quettah. He was 
entrusted with a document, carried it safely to 
Quettah, and returned with an answer; and, dur¬ 
ing the remainder of our sojourn at Candahar, we 
continued to employ him most usefully in a similar 
manner. 

After clearing the hills, the whole of the enemy’s 
cavalry were seen drawn up in our front; their right 
was resting on a range of high ground, the line 
extending across the plain until their left rested on a 
ruined fort built on a higli-scarped mound. This was 
occupied by infantry, large bodies of which were 
formed on the left of the cavalry. As was always the 
case, immense numbers of banners were displayed; 
among the rest, the black standard of Tezeen, and 
the red one of the Jan Baz, were prominent. It 
was hoped that they would now stand; the artillery 
were kept quiet, as the General wished, if possible, 
to get the infantry close up to our opponents; but 
we soon saw that fighting was not their game: they 





WITH H. M. 40JH REGIMENT. 179 

were at present playing a much deeper one in drawing 
us away from Candahar. 

As we approached they retired, and continuing to 
increase their distance from us, crossed the river, 
when, as we afterwards learned, they marched on 
Candahar, having been preceded by the infantry we 
saw in the morning. The force now bivouacked 
close to two large villages, which, having been 
strongholds or points of rendezvous for the enemy, 
were burned. Information was brought in this 
evening, that it was the intention of Sufter Jhung 
to attack us during the night. About twelve we 
heard a little firing of matchlocks near camp, and 
a few balls whistled over our heads. The ruse 
succeeded; Sufter Jhung and Actar Maliommed, 
unsuspected, moved towards Candahar, and the 
additional object of harassing the force by turning 
it out having been effected, we were subjected to 
no further annoyance. 

10th. Again ready at day-break for a move; 
advanced to the banks of the river Turnuk; finding 
the main body of the enemy had crossed, we re¬ 
turned to Punjwy. A small body of cavalry, com¬ 
manded, I believe, by Meerza Ahmed, who was 
kept out to employ and deceive us, molested our 
rear for a short time; they were, however, driven 
back by Aga Khan, a Persian refugee prince, who, 
with about two hundred followers, had accompanied 
our force from Candahar, and rendered our rear¬ 
guard some very valuable assistance. 






180 FOUR years’ service in the east 

As we approached Punjwy, our quartermasters, 
with their escort, cantered on to take up ground; 
we soon, however, saw them return at a pace in 
which few of them usually indulged, but which was 
satisfactorily accounted for by their being pursued 
by a superior force of the enemy, that had un¬ 
expectedly come upon them. 

On the 11th w T e marched, at our usual hour, in 
direction of Candahar; on our route we received 
intelligence, that a most determined attack on 
that city, the night previous, had been gallantly 
repulsed by the garrison left under Colonel Lane. 
At ten o’clock we halted for half an hour, and had 
breakfast, after which we continued our march 
over a disagreeable broken country till about seven 
in the evening, the rain pouring on us without in¬ 
termission the whole day. Our rear-guard, during 
the early part of the forenoon, was much annoyed 
by a body of cavalry, amounting to nearly a thou¬ 
sand men; on approaching Candahar, however, the 
latter drew off. After halting near old Candahar, 
we became acutely sensible of the claims of hun¬ 
ger, and, impatient of the inertness that was ob¬ 
served to distinguish the actions of our messman, 
began to call loudly for dinner. At length the 
truth would out; for, anticipating that we were 
to go into Candahar, where he could have ob¬ 
tained some supplies, he had neglected to provide 
anything, and all that could be procured for our 
hungry mess were a few bones—actual undisguised 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 181 

bones!—we had often heard that there is more 
sustenance in bones than in meat, but we never 
expected to have been obliged to test the practi¬ 
cal truth of the assertion. Soaked with rain, and 
irritated by a disappointment of so serious a nature, 
it wall easily be credited that w T e were far from 
presenting a picture of the sweetest amiability. 

On the 12th we marched into Candahar, when 
the regiments moved to their respective quarters. 
The following particulars of the attack on the city 
were communicated to us :— 

Early on the 10th, large bodies of the enemy 
began to assemble near Candahar, occupying the 
gardens in the vicinity, and the cantonments also; 
during the day their numbers increased, and it was 
evident that their object was to attack the city. 
All the gates were shut and everything was deemed 
secure. After sunset a villager, professing to have 
come from a great distance, but who must have 
been well aware that the regulations of the garri¬ 
son allowed no one to enter after that hour, came 
to the Herat gate, which was commanded by Lieu¬ 
tenant Cooke, 2nd regiment Bengal N. I., and 
requested permission to take in a donkey-load 
of faggots he had with him; this of course was 
refused, upon which the villager said he would 
leave the wood till the next morniug, and, throwing 
it down against the gate, he departed. Nothing 
was then suspected; but about eight o’clock, a 
party of the enemy stole up unobserved, and, pour- 






182 FOUR years' service in the east 

ing oil and ghee over the faggots, set them on fire, 
and the flame quickly communicated itself to the 
gate which burned like tinder. 

The stratagem having proved successful, a most 
spirited attack was made on the gate: but the mea¬ 
sures of the Commissary-general, were as admirably 
devised ; seeing the danger, he threw open the stores, 
and, procuring all the assistance he could, succeeded 
just in time in forming a barricade on the gate-way 
of the bags of flour taken from thence. The enemy 
rushed boldly on, the barricade was gained, but 
they were driven back ; again and again they re¬ 
newed the assault, but the destructive fire kept up 
by the gallant defenders at length prevailed, and 
the Affghans retired discomfited over a rampart 
formed by the bodies of their own countrymen. 

It is curious to observe how very often the suc¬ 
cess or defeat of our plans depends on events in 
themselves most insignificant—how often the slight¬ 
est accidental circumstance operates momentously 
on our destinies. To use a common phrase, our 
possession of Candahar on the night of the 10th 
hung by a thread. 

The enemy's plan was to have fired all the gates 
at once, and made a simultaneous attack on them; 
and that this was not carried into effect, was cer¬ 
tainly the result of a most fortunate accident. 

Mr. Philips, quartermaster of the 40th, who had 
been left behind sick, was entrusted with the charge 
of the citadel gate : before fastening it for the even- 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


183 


ing, something fortunately induced him to look 
outside, and on opening it, he saw two or three fag¬ 
gots laid against it; immediately, it occurred to him 
that they could have been placed there for no 
good purpose, and he brought them inside. But 
for this, the gate of which he had charge, would 
in all probability have been fired, and an equally 
spirited attack made on it as on the Herat-gate, 
in which event I cannot doubt for a moment that 
the city of Candahar would have fallen, and the 
enemy become possessed of all our stores and 
ammunition, two eighteen-pounders, &c. 

Fortune favours the brave, and the fickle lady 
did, in this instance, much favour our gallant Ge¬ 
neral. It is difficult to conjecture what would have 
been the result had we lost Candahar, or what steps 
would have been pursued by General Nott with 
regard to the movements or operations of his force. 
It is perhaps not assuming too much to say, that the 
loss of this city would have endangered the safety 
of our Indian empire. The consequence to that por¬ 
tion of the Candahar force which was left in garri¬ 
son, must have been certain destruction. Those 
troops which were out with the General were with¬ 
out tents, without supplies, and with a very limited 
number of rounds of ammunition ; it would have 
been vain therefore to have attempted, with the small 
means we could command, the recapture of the 
city, and the only alternative left us would have 
been to retire over a difficult country to Quettah, 








184 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

which if we had reached—a doubtful thing—we 
should, with the force there, in all probability have 
been compelled to continue our retreat on Scinde, 
—a disaffected country, rejoicing in our disasters, 
ready to rise against us, and which we must have 
entered a disheartened, and virtually conquered army. 

That General Nott committed a military error 
in marching from Candahar, and leaving so small 
a force for its defence, and that he was most pal¬ 
pably out-manoeuvred and out-generalled by allow¬ 
ing himself to be drawn away to so great a distance 
from that garrison, no one will deny. It will how¬ 
ever be admitted, that the state of our cattle from 
scarcity of forage, and the difficulty we experienced 
in obtaining supplies, rendered it imperative that 
the country should be shewn that it was always in 
onr power to send out a force sufficiently large to 
drive before it any army which the insurgents could 
assemble; so that, our superiority being proved, 
the villagers, impressed with a conviction of our 
strength, should be induced to bring supplies into 
garrison. A brigade of three regiments, with 
some guns and cavalry, would have been quite 
equal to this, and decidedly no greater force 
should have left Candahar, to be absent for any 
time. It is vain to say that the best proof of the 
correctness of General Nott’s operations was, that 
victory crowned them. It was indeed a singular 
piece of good fortune that success did attend them ; 
but the risk he ran was too great; the stake,—the 


WITH H. M. 40TPI REGIMENT. 


185 


honour of our country, and the integrity of our 
eastern empire,—was too intensely important to be 
so lightly hazarded. He had certainly, previous to 
moving from Candahar, almost completely emptied 
the town of its inhabitants; he had deprived those 
who were permitted to remain of their arms,—wise 
precautions surely; but still, had the enemy not been 
divided in their counsels, (a misunderstanding hav¬ 
ing on the night of the attack on Candahar occur¬ 
red among the chiefs,) had they not been foiled, — 
by the accidental but fortunate circumstance of Mr. 
Philips looking outside the citadel gate, and remov¬ 
ing the faggots he found there,—in their design 
to fire the citadel gate,—neither the promptitude, 
energy, and prudence of the Commissary-general, 
nor the distinguished gallantry of the small garri¬ 
son under Colonel Lane, would have sufficed to 
withstand the force of a fearless, simultaneous, and 
well-organized attack on the different gates. 

“All’s well that ends well!” It is ever easy to 
find faults, especially after events have occurred, 
and when we have had time to study and reflect 
on what might have been the consequences. Can¬ 
dahar was still ours. The gallant and memorable 
defence by which it had been preserved, while it 
shed a glory on the brave guardians to whose 
keeping it had been intrusted, added another to 
the continued successes obtained by the Candahar 
army, during and since the occurrence of our dis¬ 
asters at Cabul. 







186 FOUR YEARS 1 SERVICE IN THE EAST 

The “ amusements,” during the rest of the month, 
were slightly varied by what were termed moral- 
effect marches . These consisted in the cantonment 
brigade being taken out occasionally under our 
Commandant, Colonel Maclaren, who marched us 
to some neighbouring villages, generally near Ba- 
boowalla. The intention of this piece of diplomacy 
and generalship on the part of our Brigadier, was to 
induce the villagers to bring in supplies. I never 
could find out, however, that we derived much be¬ 
nefit from these plausible displays of the “ pomp 
and circumstance of war.” 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


187 


CHAPTER XVI. 

Continued Disaffection of tlie Affgbans.—Attempts to murder Eu¬ 
ropeans.—Fatal Effects of Disobedience of Orders.—Summary 
Revenge on an Affghan.—Arrival of Lord Ellenborough.—Affair 
at Baboowalla.—Fall of Gbuznee.—Defeat of General England. 
—Success at Jellalabad.—Colonel Wymer marches for Kojuck 
Pass.—Arrival of General England.—Death of Shah Soojah.— 
Brigade marches for Relief of Kelat-i-Gilzie. — Defence of 
Kelat-i-Gilzie and Repulse of Ghilzies.—Destruction of Kelat- 
i-Gilzie.—Affair near Candahar.—Return of Relieving Brigade 
from Kelat-i-Gilzie. 

The fortunate result of the attack on Candahar 
was the means of subduing, but not conquering, the 
spirit of animosity and perseverance in the rebel 
chiefs. The infantry dispersed and returned to 
their villages, but the cavalry still kept the field, 
moving about in strong parties, effectually cutting 
off all communication, and preventing our obtain¬ 
ing any supplies except in the immediate neigh¬ 
bourhood of the city, where now they were well 
nigh exhausted. 

The town of Candahar presented now a widely 
different spectacle from what it did on our first 
arrival;—then the bazaars were so crowded that it 
was with difficulty a passage could be effected 
through the dense throng of human beings, speaking 









188 FOUR years’ service in the east 

various languages and attired in the costumes of 
many nations,—then all was bustle, industry, and 
activity; now, the shops were partially closed, a few 
stragglers wandered listlessly through the streets, 
and among all classes there appeared to exist a sort 
of reciprocated feeling of suspicion and distrust. 

The sacred name of religion was called to the 
aid of the insurgents, the superstitions of the na¬ 
tives were worked upon, men lurked about in 
the streets eagerly watching for an opportunity to 
fail upon the enemies of their cause, attempts were 
made almost daily to cut down the unwary Euro¬ 
peans,—those making such endeavours conceiving 
themselves more than honoured and rewarded by 
dying in their efforts to promote the interests of 
their faith. 

Several of the 40th were severely wounded in 
the very streets of Candahar, and no one could 
safely move even a few paces from barracks, much 
less through the city, without being well armed. 

A striking case of the perversity of human nature 
and the love of acting in opposition to the orders 
of superiors, which met with a quick and fearful 
punishment, occurred about this time. Four young 
soldiers of the 40th went unarmed a consider¬ 
able distance from camp after breakfast; at din¬ 
ner parade they were absent, and during the af¬ 
ternoon continued so; at length some villagers 
came in and reported that the bodies of four Euro¬ 
peans were lying a few miles from camp. They 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


189 


had, it appeared, been seen by one of the enemy’s 
patrols, who, coining upon them, found it of course 
an easy matter to overpower them. They were 
sacrificed to their own folly; their heads, which 
were severed from their bodies, were carried as tro¬ 
phies to the enemy’s camp,—where those fortunate 
enough in securing such a prize, were rewarded at 
the rate of ten rupees for each, (the value I presume 
set upon a private soldier’s life),—and they were 
sent through the country, represented as having 
belonged to some of the Feringhee Sirdars, and 
as proofs of a victory which had been gained by 
the AfFghans. 

On one occasion, during the month of March, I 
observed a knot of men standing a short distance 
from the officers’ barracks in cantonments, and soon 
after, I saw a man taken to hospital who had re¬ 
ceived a severe sabre cut from an Affghan. Meet¬ 
ing a son of Erin, I asked him the cause of the 
excitement, when he replied, 46 O, sir, one of these 
“ fellows has just cut down a lad of ours, and we 
44 have been tapping the villain on the head with our 
44 sticks till he was dead,” and sure enough when I 
did go up to where the soldiers were, I found lying 
in the road a dead Affghan, one of the finest speci¬ 
mens of mankind I ever looked upon. 

Fives-playing by day, and turning out by night, 
continued to be the employments of this month : 
the latter, however, rather received a check; for, on 
one of the grand positive-information nights, when 





190 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

the guns had been run out at the different barrack- 
gates, and pointed towards the approaches to them, 
a very lynx-eyed alarmist vowed that he could dis¬ 
tinctly see the glimmer of numbers of the lighted 
matches of the matchlock-men in one of the 
ruined villages on the right of cantonments. We 
all strained our eyes, but there was hardly one 
who could persuade himself that there was anything 
visible save the bare walls. I was thoroughly con¬ 
vinced in my own mind that there was no one 
about, and readily consented to prove the fact by 
riding off with Major Hibbert and our Adjutant, 
Nelson, to the occupied village, where we found 
that the dreaded force had not even the substan- 
tiability of “ men o’buckram.” 

After this night the positive information either 
did not arrive so often, or was not so readily be¬ 
lieved. 

The arrival of Lord Ellenborough had long been 
looked forward to with the greatest anxiety: that 
event had at length taken place, and daily we an¬ 
ticipated receiving some intelligence from which 
we might form an idea of the line of policy his Ex¬ 
cellency would pursue for the redemption of our 
national honour. The worse than want of all in¬ 
formation which might enable Lord Ellenborough, 
on his arrival in India, to form an opinion of the 
actual extent of our disasters, the correct position 
of our troops in Affghanistan, and the means at the 
disposal of our Generals there to carry out such 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


191 


operations as lie should think conducive to the 
interests of the empire,—is well known, notwith¬ 
standing the unworthy endeavours to throw a shade 
over every act of his Lordship’s government, and 
to deprive him of the laurels he won so nobly; 
and to this cause must be attributed the delays and 
seeming indecision which at first marked his coun¬ 
sels. 

Among the first acts of his Lordship’s admi¬ 
nistration was the placing in the hands of the 
General Officers in Afghanistan the chief poli¬ 
tical power. Of the wisdom of this bold step the 
strongest proof that can be adduced is, the new 
and better spirit which distinguished our operations 
after the power of acting for themselves had been 
conferred on the Generals. No longer were the pro¬ 
ceedings of these distinguished men cramped by the 
interference of juniors who, however talented, how¬ 
ever conscientious, however well versed in the his¬ 
tory of the country, and in a knowledge of its 
language, were frequently too deficient in experi¬ 
ence to understand aright the responsibility of, or 
to wield circumspectly, the power which their false 
position gave them. 

On the 28rd of March the enemy began again to 
assemble about eighteen miles from Candahar, on 
the right bank of the Urgundaub. On the 24th, 
their camp w T as formed at a short distance from 
Killa-shuk. During that day some negotiations were 
entered into, having for their object the estrange- 







192 FOUR years’ service in the east 

ment of Prince Sufter Jhung from the rebels; in 
this, however, we failed. A Jan Baz chief had the 
impudence to say, that if he was presented with one 
lac of rupees, he would either dismiss his men, or 
move off with them to Cabul,—a modest request 
indeed for men who had already in cold blood mur¬ 
dered several of our officers, and one of whose vic¬ 
tims (Lieutenant Paterson) was at the very moment 
actually dying of the injuries he had sustained at 
their hands in December last! This demand the 
General, although politically urged to do so, of 
course declined complying with. 

On the 25th, Colonel Wymer moved out with 
three regiments of infantry, four hundred cavalry, 
and a troop of horse-artillery, into the Urgundaub 
Valley, for the purpose of procuring supplies, and 
grazing the baggage-cattle. Shortly after entering 
the vale, about two thousand of the enemy’s ca¬ 
valry were observed to cross the river, with the 
evident intent to attack and carry off the camels. 
These beasts were now quickly got together, and 
guarded on all sides as well as circumstances would 
admit. Several charges were made by the enemy, 
numbers of whom even penetrated into the hollow 
square among the cattle, where they were shot or 
bayoneted. About two p. m., the firing from the six- 
pounders with Colonel Wymer was distinctly heard 
at Candahar, and as it continued for some time, 
the General at length moved out with H. M. 40th 
and 2nd N. I., four nine-pounders, and the rest of 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


193 


the cavalry. As we cleared the Pass, a most beau- 
tiful spectacle presented itself;—the sun gleamed 
brightly on a forest of sabres, and the whole valley 
glittered “ with the pomp of war. 1 ” The three regi¬ 
ments of infantry, forming a hollow square, were 
drawn up in the plain, in which was a host of 
camels; the troop of artillery under Lieutenant 
Turner was playing beautifully on the goles of the 
enemy’s horse ; and just as General Nott with the 
reinforcements came in sight, Lieutenant Chamber- 
lain of the Bengal Service, an officer in the Shah’s 
cavalry, who at the head of a small party had 
charged the enemy, was driven back, and emerging 
from a cloud of dust, formed in rear of the infantry, 
with the loss of a few men killed, himself and many 
of his party wounded,—but not without having given 
very satisfactory proofs of his powers as a swords¬ 
man, albeit his treacherous weapon had broken in 
his hand. A large party of the enemy’s cavalry 
and infantry were formed near some villages close 
to the river; against these the General opposed the 
fresh troops. The light companay of the 40th, 
under Captain White, was ordered out in advance, 
and I was directed with my own company to sup¬ 
port it. However, as we approached the village 
and had almost fancied ourselves in possession of a 
most tempting green standard that fluttered in 
the breeze, we were recalled and moved to join 
Colonel Wymer’s force, on which the enemy had 
made another spirited attack that was as gallantly 


o 









194 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

repulsed ; and on our approach our opponents retired 
towards the river, which they crossed on our conti¬ 
nuing the pursuit. Late in the afternoon I heard 
that Lieutenant Paterson had expired. The wounds 
received in his leg were so bad, that the surgeons 
recommended amputation; this he opposed, hoping 
his limb might be preserved,—but at length seeing 
that this w^as “ hoping against hope,” he consented 
to the operation. It was then, however, of no avail, 
and he died two days after it had been performed, 
adding another to the already too many noble 
spirits sacrificed to our occupation of Affghanistan. 

At length, the sanguinary sports of the day were 
over,—the sun sunk slowly, and with glorious 
splendour, in the crimson west, and the bright 
evening-star rose calmly over the dread scene of 
death and carnage. Exhausted with fatigue, Colonel 
Wymer’s brigade prepared to bivouac, and the Gene¬ 
ral with his reinforcements returned to cantonments. 

Early in the following morning, General Nott 
again moved out to the Urgundaub Valley, with the 
same force as the day before; the enemy’s camp was 
still on the opposite side of the river, but at about 
eight o’clock it broke up, and the numerous bodies 
composing it dispersed and moved off in different 
directions. The General returned to Candahar with 
the small force that had accompanied him, Colonel 
Wymer being left out to graze the cattle, which, 
from the dispersion of our opponents, he was now 
able to effect unmolested. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


195 


It being reported that one of the chiefs, Jalloo 
Khan, had, after the defeat at Baboowalla, gone off 
towards the Kojuk with a considerable force to 
intercept General England, w T ho was soon expected, 
Colonel Wymer’s brigade was recalled on the 29th 
of March, and directed to proceed to Deh-i-Hadjee, 
on the road to Quettah, there to wait further in¬ 
structions. 

Reports of the fall of Ghuznee, and of the mas¬ 
sacre of our troops there, reached us during this 
month. We fain hoped that they were as unfounded 
as some we had seen in the papers relative to dis¬ 
asters which were said to have occurred to our¬ 
selves, but at length the poignant truth forced itself 
upon us, and we learned with sorrow and shame, 
that the cup of our adversity was not yet filled. 

44 True it is, misfortunes never come singly.” 
Scarce had the rumour of the fall of Ghuznee 
reached our ears, when information was brought into 
Candahar, that our troops to the south had met with 
a most severe check,—that they had been driven 
back,—and that they had lost one at least of the su- 
rior officers. This was indeed gloomy news for us 
who had been looking forward daily to the arrival of 
General England with treasure, ammunition, and 
supplies of various sorts, of all of which we were 
now in extreme want. But we were not kept long 
in suspense,—the dispatch of General England to 
General Nott confirmed the worst accounts we had 

heard,—our troops had been defeated—had been 

o 2 











196 FOUR years’ service in the east 


compelled to retreat—and tlie General was busy en¬ 
trenching his position at Quettah. Captain May of 
the light company of the 41st regiment, was killed; 
Major Apthorpe, an officer of high reputation 
in the Honourable Company’s Service, and who 
commanded the Bombay Light Battalion at Hy- 
ltulzie, was mortally wounded, and died two days 
after the defeat. Several other officers were 
wounded, and a large proportion of men killed 
and wounded. 

An event so disastrous, occurring at such a time, 
was well calculated to throw a gloom over our pros¬ 
pects, and engender a feeling of despondency as to 
the result of our many and complicated calamities. 
Fortunately, in General Nott there was a man 
at the head of affairs formed for the emergencies 
of the times: the only thought that actuated him 
was a desire to maintain the character of his coun¬ 
try—to wipe off the stains that had tarnished our 
arms; and in this one sacred hope, every other 
consideration was absorbed. His dauntless spirit 
appeared to gain additional strength as the diffi¬ 
culties and dangers surrounding him increased; 
and seeing at once the perils which would beset 
our cause — the very ruin which would involve 
us—if the severity of the present blow should tend 
to damp the ardour or moderate the exertions on 
which so much depended the success of the dar¬ 
ling project of his heart — the advance on Ca- 
bul,—he sent off a dispatch to General England, 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


197 


'peremptorily ordering him to leave his entrench¬ 
ments and move at once on Candahar; and to 
guard against the possibility of any second mishap, 
he arranged that a brigade under Colonel Wymer 
should proceed towards Quettah, to co-operate with 
General England, and facilitate the passage of the 
Quettah force over the Kojuck mountains. 

As an offset to our disasters, on the 7th of April 
occurred the defeat, by the gallant Sale and his 
intrepid band, at Jellalabad, of Akbar Khan—an 
event which infused a spirit of hope and energy 
into our Indian councils, and which, joined to the 
lon^ list of successes that had crowned the British 
arms at Candahar, diffused a joy throughout the 
empire, in the conviction that in the hands of Nott 
and Sale the honour of England would be asserted, 
retrieved, and maintained. 

The day for General England’s departure from 
Quettah being determined on, Colonel Wymer, 
with a strong brigade of infantry, some guns and 
cavalry, moved towards the end of April to the Ko¬ 
juck Pass; and on the 2nd of May, having crowned 
the heights on the north of that range of mountains, 
General England, who had just been successful in 
defeating the enemy at the same place where he 
had met with so severe a reverse in March, effected 
a junction with the Candahar brigade. On the 9th 
of May, we had the pleasure of welcoming this force, 
who brought with it letters, for forwarding which 
from Quettah no opportunity had offered since No- 











198 FOUR years’ service in the east 

vember last,—supplies of treasure and hospital com¬ 
forts, — our stock of which was completely ex¬ 
hausted,—and ammunition, of which we were also 
beginning to experience a scarcity. Added to all 
this, there was a host of old and valued friends, 
particularly among the officers of the 3rd Bombay 
Cavalry (old Deesa comrades), from whom we had 
much to learn of their doings since we had last 
met, and of course much to communicate of our¬ 
selves. The few camels brought up by this force 
were not the least valuable acquisition to our 
means, and the prospect of being soon able to 
procure an additional supply, and thereby em¬ 
powered to act on a more extended scale, was a 
source of much gratification. 

Among those who accompanied General Eng¬ 
land’s force from Quettah was one of those most 
enterprising of all enterprising natives, the Parsees, 
bringing with him a few of the good things of this 
life, and by whose means we were enabled, although 
in a very moderate way as to quantity and quality , 
and at a very exorbitant price, to renew our ac¬ 
quaintance with generous wine, a thing unknown of 
late months in our messes, where the hydropathic 
system had been most rigidly although most in¬ 
voluntarily observed. 

The chaplain, Mr. Allen, who accompanied 
General England’s division, breakfasted with us on 
the morning of the arrival of the Quettah force. 
It was many months since we had seen one of 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


199 


his sacred calling, and the appearance among us in 
that distant and barbarous land of a clergyman of 
the Church of England, attached a degree of 
civilization to us, which, from long absence from 
polite circles, many of us had almost begun to 
think had departed. Mr. Allen has written a 
pleasing and beautiful narrative of the incidents 
which took place on his route to join the Candahar 
division, and during the eventful operations of that 
force, in all of which he participated. For the more 
than kindly feelings he has expressed towards my 
cherished corps, I tender him my best and warmest 
thanks; and can assure my reverend friend that 
these feelings of esteem are reciprocated by the 
regiment in the society of whose officers his lot was 
for a long time cast, and that his name is associated 
with some of the most pleasing recollections of our 
Affghan life. 

Tidings reached us of the death of Shah Soojah, 
our puppet king. He was a prince possessed of but 
few, if any, virtues, and of a character deformed 
by the most horrible vices and disgusting sensuali¬ 
ties. Long practised in the arts of treachery and 
duplicity, he at length fell a victim to their snares, 
and by the hand of an assassin was suddenly removed 
from a world where he had ever failed to inspire 
esteem or respect, and which he left at last unre¬ 
gretted. 

A few days after General England’s arrival, 
orders were issued for the following force under 







200 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Colonel Wymer to hold itself in readiness to pro¬ 
ceed to the relief of Kelat-i-Gilzie, the small gar¬ 
rison of which had so nobly held their ground 
during the winter: — H.M. 40th, 16th, and 38th 
Bengal N. I., 3rd Bombay cavalry, troop of Bom¬ 
bay artillery, and company of Bombay European 
artillery with nine-pounders. 

On the morning of the 19th we marched from 
Candahar, the remaining troops, which had been 
provided with quarters in garrison, having moved in 
previous to our departure and occupied them. Our 
first march was to Abdoolah Khareez, near which is 
a small insignificant fort; the road good, but the 
country almost as soon as leaving Candahar be¬ 
coming desolate and sterile. To the right and left 
of our route was a dead flat, hounded by arid hills 
devoid of all vegetation. Water, which was pro¬ 
curable from a Kareez, was good, but not very 
plentiful. 

On the 20th, continued our march twelve miles 
to Killa Azeem ; road excellent, over a level and 
barren plain. 

21st. Entered the valley of the Turnuk, in the 
country of the Ghilzies, and having marched about 
seventeen miles, encamped on the right bank of the 
river at Killa Aklioond. The valley is exceedingly 
narrow, and highly cultivated. Close to the river 
were growing most luxuriant crops, in the midst 
of which we encamped, and, necessity knowing no 
law, were compelled to let our cattle feed on the 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


201 


standing corn. The country in the immediate 
neighbourhood of the cultivated parts produced 
not a blade of any vegetation, and no villagers 
entered our camp with supplies. Received informa¬ 
tion to-day that the Ghilzies were assembling an 
immense force to oppose us a few marches a-head. 

On the 22nd, marched to Sher-i-Suffa, twelve 
miles ; road undulating, narrow, intersected by ra¬ 
vines, and passing for the first few miles through 
a narrow defile, the base of which w T as washed by 
the river. Delayed some time to-day in making the 
road practicable for our guns. Some short distance 
from camp was a curious old fort, lately deserted. 
Encampment still on the banks of the Turnuk, in 
which there was excellent fishing. 

23rd. To Teer-un-daz, ten miles over a very 
good road; pitched near the Turnuk, and still 
among the corn-fields. Near our camp was a large 
obelisk that marks the spot to which Ahmed 
Shah propelled an arrow from his bow, from the 
top of a neighbouring hill;—hence the name of the 
place, which signifies the “ flight of an arrow.” 
The distance from the hill to the obelisk is con¬ 
siderable, and proves that Ahmed Shah could 
have been inferior to none of his countrymen in 
the use of the long bow , for which, in one accepta¬ 
tion of the term, they are very justly remarkable. 
Received a note on arrival here from Kelat-i-Gilzie, 
mentioning that a most determined attack had been 
made on that fort, by a large body of Gilzies, on 












202 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the morning of the 21st. The manner in which 
this noble little garrison repulsed the assault, 
added to the laurels they had already won for 
themselves, by the gallant and determined man¬ 
ner in which they maintained their position during 
the whole winter, although exposed to cold and 
privations unequalled by any of the victorious 
troops in Affghanistan. 

24th of May. Marched to Assielmie, ten miles ; 
road good, but near our encamping-ground much 
intersected with ravines and water-courses. At this 
place, Colonel Wymer, in May 1841, with a wing 
of the 38th B. N. I., two guns, and some cavalry, en¬ 
gaged, and totally defeated, an immensely superior 
force of Ghilzies. 

25th of May. To Asseerzy, thirteen miles, road 
good, encampment still on the Turnuk; we could 
plainly see Kelat-i-Gilzie from our camp. 

26th of May. Marched to Kelat-i-Gilzie, twelve 
miles; a few of the intrepid defenders of the fort 
came out to meet and welcome our force; encamped 
to the westward of the fortress. 

The small fort of Kelat-i-Gilzie was built on a 
high table-hill, rising abruptly from the plain, about 
one hundred and fifty feet above its level. From 
the centre of this table-land, rises to about the 
height of one hundred feet a small conical hill, 
which formed the citadel. It was formerly one 
of the largest forts or villages in this district, 
and, at one time, was the principal stronghold of 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


203 


the Ghilzie clan of Tukhu. When occupied, how¬ 
ever, by our troops, on first entering the country, it 
was a mass of ruins, and had been long uninhabited. 
Barracks were constructed here for about one thou¬ 
sand men, and would have been tolerably comfort¬ 
able quarters during the winter, but for the exces¬ 
sive cold, which, owing to the want of doors and 
windows, and the almost total absence of fuel, it 
was impossible to moderate. The place was sur¬ 
rounded by a deep dry ditch, inside which it was 
intended there should have been permanent wall 
defences; there had not, however, been time to 
construct them, and the fortifications round Kelat-i- 
Gilzie, which had been hurriedly got up by its de¬ 
fenders, were essentially temporary. Inside the 
fort were springs of excellent water. 

The attack, from the testimony borne by the gar¬ 
rison to the gallantry of the besiegers, must have 
been most determined; indeed, the numbers of dead 
bodies of the enemy, which were still lying un¬ 
buried near the principal point of attack, suffi¬ 
ciently attested the spirit with which the attempt to 
carry the place had been made and persisted in. 
The clearest and best account of this gallant affair 
is to be had from the despatch of Captain Craigie, 
the Commander, which is annexed. 

The garrison were delighted to see us. Their posi¬ 
tion was daily becoming more precarious ; they had 
been made aware of the defeat of General England, 
but had not learned of his subsequently being en- 













204 FOUR years’ service in the east 

abled to come on to Candahar, and were not pre¬ 
pared to find that we could so soon inarch to their 
relief;—their supplies were nearly exhausted, in¬ 
deed, the last sheep was killed the day before our 
arrival. 

The country in the neighbourhood of Kelat-i- 
Gilzie is hilly, and with the exception of a very 
limited portion near the river Turnuk, barren and 
rocky. 

On the 27th, the small garrison of Kelat-i-Gilzie 
marched out of the scene of their triumph with 
flying colours, and receiving three honest, hearty 
cheers from the relieving brigade, moved to the 
ground on the left of our camp, which had been 
marked out for them. 

On the morning of the 28th, fatigue parties un¬ 
der the superintendence of Major Saunders, chief 
engineer, commenced the destruction of the fort. 
This duty was continued under his direction on the 
29th, 30th, and 31st, when the force received orders 
to march the following morning. Ghuznee we had 
all fondly hoped was our destination; but our steps 
on the morning of the 1st of June were re-directed 
to Candahar; which city, returning by the same 
route we had come, we reached on the 12th of June, 
without having met the opposition promised. In¬ 
deed, instead of seeing the vaunted thousands of 
Ghilzies who were to drive us back on Candahar—if 
they should condescend to leave any to drive,—1 
think I rather exceed the number when I state, 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


205 


that during our absence from Candahar in the 
Ghilzie country, we did not see more than ten 
natives. 

At Teer-un-daz we learned that Prince Sufter 
Jhung, and Actar Mahommed, had been joined by 
Ukbar Khan, chief of Zemindawur, and that under 
the idea that Candahar had been left very badly off 
for troops, they had proceeded to the attack of that 
place;—that General Nott had moved out to meet 
them, and that these chiefs had been completely 
defeated. 

The success attendant on the promptitude and 
energy that distinguished General Nott’s opera¬ 
tions, by which alone General England was enabled 
to reach Candahar; the repulse of the attack on 
Kelat-i-Gilzie; and the defeat of the united rebel 
army at Candahar on the 29th of June,—had com¬ 
pletely broken the spirit of the insurgents in that 
part of Afghanistan. 

Negotiations were entered into by Saloo Khan, 
—the Kojuk chief who had deserted our cause dur¬ 
ing the winter—to forward regularly the mails from 
Quettah: camels and stores were also brought up 
in considerable numbers after our return, lightly- 
equipped brigades being sent down for them; flocks 
of sheep and supplies of a better description were 
brought in; and the winter troops soon began to 
benefit from the improved living this change of 
circumstances produced, the wholesome meat that 
was now issued offering a pleasing contrast to 












206 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

the almost carrion, on which we had been feeding 
for months. 

Three or four days after onr return, part of the 
force, consisting of three regiments of Infantry and 
the whole of the mounted troops, having in charge 
all our baggage-cattle, moved out under Colonel 
Wymer, partly for the purpose of destroying some 
forts which during the winter had been the strong¬ 
holds of our enemies, but more for the facilities 
afforded in feeding our cattle. Little of interest 
occurred with the troops remaining in garrison and 
cantonments. The reports as to our destination 
were numerous and varied, the only certain thing 
being,—move somewhere out of this we must. 

At fives-playing we continued really indefatigable, 
and had many excellent matches. 

Some days after returning to Candahar, I was 
surprised and delighted, to be accosted by an old 
friend, Dr. Campbell Mackinnon, whom I had not 
seen for many years, and who had accidentally 
heard of my being at Candahar. 

I was perfectly aware that he was in this country, 
but having understood that he was one of the 
Cabul prisoners, if not one of the unfortunate vic¬ 
tims of our disasters there, I was more than asto¬ 
nished to find him safe at Candahar, and to learn 
that he was one of the participators in the ever- 
memorable defence of Kelat-i-Gilzie. 

In July, the 40th regiment lost by his death 
the valuable services of Quartermaster Philips; 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 207 

deatli and burial follow each other in the East with 
a necessary precipitancy, which would disgust and 
horrify, by its apparent indecency, our friends at 
home; this is succeeded by a species of oblivion, 
yet not forgetfulness of the deceased, which, while 
betokening no want of feeling, proves how fortu¬ 
nate it is, that we are so constituted that events 
so distressing even as the loss of esteemed friends, 
do not interfere with our performance of the usual 
routine of duties. 









208 FOUR years' service in the east 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Preparations for leaving Candahar.—Delira Ishmael Khan.— 
Troops leave Cantonments.—Explosion.—Evacuation of Can¬ 
dahar.—Advance on Cabul.—Affair at Killa Azeem.—Death 
of Captains Bury and Reeves.—Goaine.-—Huzaurehs.—Capture 
of Ghuznee.— Jubbur Jhung. — Description of Ghuznee.— 
Rosah.—Tomb of Mahmood.—Gates of Somnauth. 

Towards the latter end of July all the old guns 
in Candahar were destroyed, the repairs in progress 
in the fortifications were discontinued, and every¬ 
thing betokened a move, but the question was 
—whither ? 

It was well known that General Nott had all 
along urged upon Government the propriety, nay, 
the very necessity of advancing a British Army on 
Cabul: the means of carriage, which had lately 
been put at his disposal, placed him in a position to 
make that advance himself; and the Candahar 
Division gloried in the hope that he would be en¬ 
abled to carry out his wish. 

At length, on the 30th of July, orders were re¬ 
ceived for the troops to hold themselves in readi¬ 
ness to return to India. Part of the force, including 
the sick, under General England, was to retire by 
Quettah, and the Bolan Pass; the main body, com- 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


209 


posed of “the best troops under General Nott, it 
was said, were to proceed to Dehra Ishmael Khan, 
and there cross the Indus. 

The particular object to be gained by adopting 
this latter route it was difficult to divine, and the 
generally received impression among the officers, 
perhaps because the one most desired, was, that our 
General was to lead us on to Cabul, and that the 
mention of Dehra Ishmael Khan was merely to 
throw dust in the eyes of the natives; indeed, it was 
afterwards accounted for, whether justly or not, by 
this fact — that if the Louhanies, upon whom we 
were dependent for a large proportion of our ca¬ 
mels, had had an idea that our intention was to 
have marched on Ghuznee and Cabul, they would 
have declined accompanying our army. 

The craven portion of the press of India had long 
been urging the policy and propriety of withdrawing 
our armies from Afghanistan; its columns teemed 
with letters, purporting to be from officers of our di¬ 
vision, proclaiming the foul falsehood, that our army 

desired to return unavenged. For the honour of the 

* 

cloth it is to be hoped that those letters never were 
written by officers; from whomsoever they eman¬ 
ated, they were but the productions of hearts in 
which the spirit of a soldier had never existed ; and 
the general enthusiasm with which the prospect of 
our advance on Cabul was hailed, gave the lie to 
the dastardly assertions they contained. 

Our gallant chief had “ not contemplated falling 

p 












210 FOUR years' service in the east 

hack he had succeeded by his representations to 
Government in proving, that all that was required 
to enable him to advance, and strike the grand 
blow, for the honour of “ dear Old England,” was 
carriage ; that he had now procured; and the sane- 
tion of Government to his forward movement had 
been obtained. On the small army he had, he knew 
that he could place the utmost reliance,—that he 
could confidently trust to its gallantry — its aspira¬ 
tions for the glory of its country—its desire to wipe 
off the stain from our arms — and its devotion to 
himself: and he knew well, too, its ardent wish to 
uphold him triumphantly through one of the most 
daring, because one of the most thoroughly inde¬ 
pendent and unsupported operations, carried through 
the heart of an enemy’s country, which any General 
had ever attempted. 

On the 3d, H.M. 40th, 2nd, and 16th regiments 
evacuated cantonments,—and encamped close to the 
walls of Candahar; the same day the troops, pro¬ 
ceeding with General England, also moved out of 
garrison and encamped. On the 4th, General Nott 
came into camp, leaving two or three regiments as 
a guard in the city over the stores, ammunition, &c., 
which had not yet been brought into camp. 

An event occurred this day that might have been 
most serious in its results. A large quantity of 
damaged powder, which had been laid aside to be 
used by the engineers in some experiments previous 
to our departure, was ignited by the carelessness 













WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 211 

of an artilleryman: a vast explosion followed, the 
shock of which was felt for miles,—a mass of stones 
and dust was hurled far up into the air, there was 
not a window in the city that was not destroyed, 
several of the inhabitants were killed, and numbers, 
thinking it the signal for a general massacre by the 
British, in revenge for all we had suffered, rushed 
frantically to the officers on guard, and implored 
mercy for themselves and families. The panic was at 
length dispelled, and order and confidence restored 
in the town. It is a most fortunate circumstance 
that the flame from this explosion did not com¬ 
municate with the main magazine, close adjoining, 
in which was a great part of our ammunition. 

On the 6th, a few of us rode out to take a 44 last 
fond look ” of our cantonments; part of them were 
occupied by the followers of some chief, ready to 
enter the city when we retired. Near the Baboo- 
walla Pass we met a considerable body of horsemen, 
and several, on our approach, dashing out from 
their ranks at full speed, galloped towards us ; not 
being very certain of our friends, we were in what 
the Yankees would call a and began to think 
whether it would not be prudent to turn to the right 
about, and trust to our horses to take us into camp; 
the cavaliers, however, suddenly drew up, and 
made us a most profound salam, thereby assuring 
us of their friendly regard. 

On the 7th, the remainder of our troops were 
withdrawn from Candahar. Prince Timour Shah, 

p 2 
















212 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


eldest son of Shah Soojah, with his family, joined 
General England’s camp, with which he was to pro¬ 
ceed to Hindostan; and the command of the garrison 
was assumed by Prince Sufter Jhung, who, towards 
the end of last month, had returned to Candahar. 
He was not, however, in the most remote manner 
acknowledged by General Nott. 

On the 9th, we broke ground, General England’s 
camp moving towards Deh-i-Hadjee ; that of General 
Nott marching on Abdoolah Kaureez, four miles on 
the road to Cabul.* The latter consisted of Les¬ 
lie’s troop, horse-artillery (Bombay); Anderson’s 
troop of horse-artillery (Native, late Shah’s) ; 
Bengal company, European, with four eighteen- 
pounders, Bombay company (Blood’s); four nine- 
pounders and two twenty-four'pounders, howitzers, 
—the whole under Major Sotheby: Bengal artil¬ 
lery, 3rd Bombay cavalry (Delamaine); part of Skin¬ 
ner’s horse (Haldane) ; irregular regiment of cavalry, 
late Shah’s, (Christie);—the wdiole under Captain 
Delamaine: H.M. 40th regiment (Hibbert); 16th 
Bengal (M’Laren); 38th Bengal (Burney); 3rd, 
late Shah’s regiment (Craigie);—forming the first 
brigade, under Brigadier Wymer: H.M. 41st (Gore 
Browne); 2nd Bengal (Lane); 42nd Bengal (Clark¬ 
son); and 43rd Bengal (Nash)- forming second 
brigade, under Brigadier Stacey: also some sappers 
and miners. 

* We carried with us sixty days’ provisions, and had a retinue 
of 10,000 camels, besides other beasts of burden. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


213 


On our occupation of Candahar, during the win¬ 
ter of 1841 and 1842, we could look back with 
pride and satisfaction. During the long and eventful 
period that, to maintain the honour of our arms 
we had to contend with the most trying difficulties 
and privations, no reverse had occurred to sully their 
brightness, no excess had been committed by which 
our humanity or integrity could be impeached ; nor 
was the general absence of crime from our troops, 
and the extreme devotion to our cause of the native 
soldiery, even when rumours of the most despond¬ 
ing character reached our garrison, the least gratify¬ 
ing part of our associations and connections with 
Candahar. In entering on our present undertaking, 
we remembered how much depended on its success. 
We knew the intense interest with which our move¬ 
ments were watched by our countrymen at home; 
we felt a pride in sharing the responsibility that our 
noble chief had dared to incur ; and we were inspi¬ 
rited by the conviction that, under his direction, 
victory would attend this momentous enterprise. 

Uctar Maliommed, it was said, was in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Candahar, waiting for our final de¬ 
parture before entering the city; not liking to 
trust himself within the walls while we were near, 
for fear that we should return and secure him. 

On the 10th we continued our march, and pur¬ 
suing the same route that the force under Brigadier 
Wymer took in May last, we reached Kelat-i-Gilzie 
on the morning of the 17th of August. Since our 







214 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

last visit, the crops had been removed from the 
ground. The natives, of whom we saw many, had 
suddenly become our greatest friends and admirers, 
and they brought into camp supplies of grain, &c. 
in abundance. A few of our camp followers, how¬ 
ever, who chose to wander among the hills during 
our stay here, got cut up for their temerity. 

The fort we found exactly in the same state as 
we had left it in June. 

On the 19th we marched over a good, though 
rather a hilly road to Sir-i-Usp, nine miles. There 
was a very decided and pleasing change in the 
temperature here; the thermometer, which latterly 
at Candahar had been 115°, being now only about 
95°. Our encampment was good, and we had abun¬ 
dance of water, being pitched near the Turnuck. 

20th. Eight miles to Nourouk,—the road very 
hilly, but the country not so barren as in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Kelat-i-Gilzie. The river near Nou¬ 
rouk is very winding in its course; encamping ground 
good, and water abundant. The natives continued 
to bring in supplies of grain, &c. A futile attempt 
was made by some Ghilzies to-day to carry off ca¬ 
mels ; they were detected in the act, and a few were 
put to the sword. A number of Sepoys, who were 
spared during the massacre at Ghuznee, and who 
were made slaves, escaped from their masters, and 
joined our camp to-day. The report now was, that 
the negotiations for the release of our Cabul pri¬ 
soners, between General Pollock and Akbar Khan, 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 215 

were at an end, in consequence of the displeasure of 
the latter at General Nott’s advance, Akbar declar¬ 
ing that he would not permit any British army to 
approach Cabul! One of my camels came down in 
a nullah to-day, and in its fall a bottle of brandy was 
broken. Thus I lost all my stock of inspiriting 
liquid, and there was no possibility of replacing it;— 
the only consolation being, that the water was good. 

21st. To Abee Tazee, eleven and a half miles; 
road good, along the banks of the Turnuck. It was 
from this place that Colonel McLaren determined 
on his retrograde movement in November. Our 
encamping ground satisfactory; water plentiful. 
Supplies were now beginning to be scarce, the vil¬ 
lages, as we advanced, being generally deserted. 

22nd. To Shuftal, road very bad, being inter¬ 
sected with ravines. Still near the Turnuck. Vil¬ 
lages on to-day’s march quite deserted. A native 
brought intelligence into camp to-day, that the 
enemy were assembling in great force at Ghuznee, 
and preparing to give us a warm reception. Sepoys, 
formerly of the Ghuznee garrison, continued to join 
our camp ; it was gratifying to be the means, as we 
moved along, of releasing these poor creatures from 
their bondage. 

23rd. To Chusma-i-Shadie, “ the fountain of de¬ 
light road good, over a wide and open plain, flanked 
by bold hills. Encampment clear, and near the river. 
Several villages near, from which we obtained 
supplies in abundance. Not far from camp was a 













216 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

large cave, in which, according to the tradition of 
the natives, some immense treasure is concealed. 

25th. To Chusma-i-Gunja, seven miles ; the road 
very good, the valley widening as we advanced. 
Reports improved to-day, — Simmshoodeen Khan 
being all ready to exterminate us on our arrival at 
Mookur, where he had assembled a large army, 
said to be increasing daily. By last returns it was 
four thousand matchlock men, fifteen hundred 
Jizailihies (riflemen), four nine pounders, and a host 
of cavalry. 

Encampment near the Turnuck ; obtained supplies 
from the villages in small quantities. 

26th. To Ghozan, fourteen miles ; road excellent, 
over an extensive and level plain, bounded on either 
side by high hills, and studded with numerous forts 
and villages. Passed, on to-day’s march, a very neat 
little fort, which had been built by Major Leech for 
the protection of Dawks and Can lias; it had been 
the scene of the murder of Guddoo Khan, one of 
our adherents, when carrying despatches from Ghuz- 
nee to Candahar, on the breaking out of the insur¬ 
rection. It was now deserted, and the walls were 
much dilapidated. Near our camp was the scene of 
a victory gained over some Affghans by a Goorkha 
regiment which accompanied Lord Keane. Ex¬ 
cellent grazing for our camels in the vicinity of 
camp. 

Rumour still asserts that we are to have work 
to-morrow. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


217 


27th. Mookur, twelve miles. After advancing 
a few miles, about three hundred of the enemy’s 
cavalry were seen in front, and we began to prepare 
for action. Light companies were formed in advance, 
parties of our cavalry were on our flanks, and two 
guns were added to the rear-guard. A Cossid came 
in and reported that the horse in front were merely 
a reconnoitring party, and that Shumshoodeen’s 
army was some marches in advance. We moved on 
and encamped close to the source of the river Tur- 
nuck, and near the large village of Mookur, which 
was quite deserted. There, however, w r e got quanti¬ 
ties of grain and forage, without the trouble of pay¬ 
ing for them,—an admirable system, in the esti¬ 
mation of the greater part of the officers, whose 
supply of the “ needful ,” owing to the arrears of pay 
due to us, was rather limited. In the front of our 
camp was a high barren hill, rising abruptly from 
the plain, on the top of wdiich were a few natives, 
one of whom, with his long loose drapery floating in 
graceful negligence in the breeze, occasionally dis¬ 
charged his matchlock in the direction of camp. He 
went through a series of gesticulations, seemingly 
denouncing us, and heaping imprecations on our 
heads. A body of cavalry and infantry made an 
attempt on the baggage, but were driven off with 
some loss by our rear-guard, and without having 
secured any booty. During the night we were 
annoyed by the firing of the enemy into camp, but 
we sustained no injury. 













218 FOUR YEARS' SERVICE IN THE EAST 

28th. To Oostam Khan, or Killa Azeem, about 
fourteen miles. Having marched a short distance, 
a party of the enemy, amounting to about two hun¬ 
dred or three hundred cavalry and infantry, were 
observed to our left front, moving along under a 
range of hills running parallel to our line of march, 
about a mile distant. They gradually drew off to our 
rear, shouting, beating tom-toms, and the horsemen 
occasionally dashing out from the ranks, caracoling 
gracefully about, and anon discharging their match¬ 
locks in the air, in token of defiance and contempt. 

Approaching nearer, they made some demonstra¬ 
tions on our baggage, and, as they increased in num¬ 
bers, we were obliged to move on slowly, to enable 
our baggage to keep close up to us. At length 
they became over rash, and some of our cavalry 
were slipped at them, and coming upon them, 
put to the sword about sixty of their number, prin¬ 
cipally infantry,—the remainder, taking advantage 
of the nullahs which intersected the plains, suc¬ 
ceeded in escaping to the hills. Our loss did not 
exceed five or six killed, and a few wounded. 

We could plainly see the marks of the wheels of 
Sliumshoodeen’s guns on our march to-day. 

Encamped about 11a. m., at some distance from 
some small forts. 

After breakfast, a report was brought in that a 
part of Shumshoodeen Khan’s army had attacked 
our grass-cutters a short distance in front of camp. 
Captain Delamaine, commanding the cavalry, imme- 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


219 


diately ordered a portion of them out, and moved 
to the scene of action, having, however, adopted the 
precaution to dispatch a messenger to the Adjutant- 
General, intimating, for the information of General 
Nott, the step he had taken, of course in the 
expectation that; should it be approved, he would be 
supported ; if not, that there was time for his recall 
before he could have reached the enemy. This 
communication was , however , not made at the time to 
the General. Meanwhile Captain Delamaine, with 
the whole cavalry, moved out, and, coming up with 
the enemy, repulsed and drove them back with loss. 
Elated by success, our troops lost the advantage 
they had gained by pursuing their opponents too 
far; and being met by the whole of Shumshoodeen’s 
army, in a difficult country full of ravines which 
w T ere lined with matchlock men, were overwhelmed 
and overpowered. 

We had all been attracted to the front of camp 
by the firing we heard, but for a long while could 
distinguish nothing of what was going on, from the 
masses of dust which veiled everything from our 
view; at length, a number of horses with empty 
saddles were seen to emerge from the clouds 
of sand, galloping wildly towards camp. Shortly 
after a report was brought in, that our cavalry had 
met with a severe check, that they had sustained 
the loss of several officers, and that they had been 
driven into the plain, where we could now see them 
re-forming 















220 FOUR years’ service in the east 

The General being now apprized of what was 
going on, issued orders for a considerable portion of 
his force to move out: the “ assembly” w r as sounded 
throughout camp, and all was hurry and activity. 
Then it was that marching down with three regi¬ 
ments and some guns towards the cavalry, we learned 
the extent of our losses. Among those who had fal¬ 
len gallantly cheering on their men, were Captains 
Bury and Reeves of the 3rd Bombay Cavalry, old 
and intimate friends of my own and most of my 
brother officers,—the life and soul of all our manly 
sports and amusements at Deesa, and possessing 
that ardour and daring promptitude and resolution, 
so peculiarly and inseparably connected with the 
character of good cavalry officers. Among the 
wounded were Captain Ravenscroft and Lieutenant 
M‘Kenzie, 3rd Cavalry, and Lieutenant Chamber- 
lain of the Irregular Cavalry, who seemed to have 
the good fortune to be wounded on every occasion 
he was engaged. 

As the General with his reinforcements advanced, 
Shumslioodeen with his army retired, satisfied, doubt¬ 
less, with the success he had already obtained. The 
grass-cutters having mentioned that the villagers in 
some of the neighbouring forts had been most busy 
in assisting Shumshoodeen, that several of our 
followers had been slain by them, and a number of 
cattle stolen, the General directed a part of the 
force to move down and ascertain the truth of the 
report, while a regiment of infantry, with some 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


221 


guns, proceeded to recover the bodies of our fallen 
comrades. 

On approaching the fort, some of the inhabitants 
came out proclaiming their innocence, and with Ko- 
rails on their heads imploring for mercy. General 
Nott informed them, that he merely wished to assure 
himself whether they had in any way assisted our 
enemies, or committed the depredation on our pro¬ 
perty of which they were accused, and if he found 
they had not, that of course they should not be 
molested. Captain F. White with the light company 
of H. M. 40th regiment, was now ordered in to 
inspect the fort, the habitants of which, who con¬ 
sented to this step, having been warned, that should 
they offer any opposition to his progress, the place 
should be stormed, and not a man be spared. 
White had scarcely entered the fort ere he was 
assailed by a volley from the matchlocks of the 
infatuated wretches. Immediately on hearing this, 
I was ordered in with my company to support him, 
and was followed by the light company of H.M. 
41st, and a few companies from other corps. A 
heavy fire was opened on us from the houses in the 
different detached forts, but our loss in killed and 
wounded was fortunately very small. The men 
were exasperated by the events of the morning, but 
no excess disgraced their conduct; under any cir¬ 
cumstances the destruction of human life must be 
painful, but there is always a satisfaction in know¬ 
ing that blood has not been needlessly or wantonly 















222 FOUR years’ service in the east 

spilt. The entry of our troops into the fort had 
been sanctioned by the inhabitants,—that entry had 
scarcely been effected, ere our soldiers were trea¬ 
cherously fired upon, and a continual discharge 
of matchlocks kept up on our men from the 
houses in the fort. Those in arms against us were 
necessarily sacrificed, but we are guiltless of the 
blood of the women and children, notwithstanding 
the numerous calumnies asserted to the contrary. 
During the whole of the operations of this day, I 
saw but one woman killed, and that was purely 
accidental: none of the officers experienced the 
slightest difficulty in restraining their men; on the 
contrary, to my knowledge, the lives of several 
men were spared at the prayer of the women and 
children, who were mingling with our troops. 

Numbers of our camels were found in the fort; 
and concealed among the lucerne were several of 
the dead bodies of our followers. The troops 
were at length withdrawn; supplies of forage, grain, 
&c. which we required for our cattle, and which 
had been refused to us in the morning, were taken 
out; the residue was fired as a punishment to the 
villagers, and a warning to those in advance: and 
the darkness of the night was illumined by the 
flames which issued from the burning mins of the 
fort. 

While we were engaged at the fort, the muti¬ 
lated corses of our fallen soldiers were brought into 
camp,—mangled, inanimate remains of what they 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


223 


had been, and exhibiting mournful proofs of the utter 
barbarity of those against whom we were opposed. 
Deprived of heads, hands, and otherwise fearfully dis¬ 
figured, their limbs were sent through the country 
as trophies. At Ghuznee poor Reeves's head was 
exhibited as that of General Nott, who, it was said, 
had been entirely defeated near Mookur, himself 
killed, his army dispersed, and the whole of his 
artillery captured. 

At dead of night, the remains of the gallant Reeves 
and Bury were, in sadness, silence, and sorrow, con¬ 
signed to their last resting place. No monument 
in that far land points out where they have been 
laid, but they died the death of brave soldiers, and 
they will live long in the memory of the friends who 
mourned their loss. The observation that 44 war 
cannot be made without loss” is truly applicable 
here, — it is also very painful. 

Our loss in the disastrous affair of this day must 
have been of officers and men nearly fifty killed. 

On the 29th, moved camp to Oba, a distance of 
three miles, and encamped near ground which had 
evidently been occupied the night before by the 
enemy,—the marks of the gun-wheels being distinctly 
visible. Shumshoodeen, in great force, was in the 
ridge of hills about three miles in front of camp; 
during the day, his followers amused themselves by 
discharging their matchlocks, firing salutes, &c., in 
honour of the success they obtained yesterday. To- 












224 


FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

morrow is the day fixed on by our opponents for 
our entire destruction. 

30th. To Karabaugh, near Goaine. During this 
morning’s march, the enemy, in great force, moved 
along a ridge of hills parallel to us, and encamped 
about four miles from our halting-place. The 
country is extensively cultivated, and filled with 
forts, generally small rectangular defences, with 
round towers at each angle. On coming to our 
ground, we sent to some of them for supplies, but 
were most insultingly refused. The General gave 
the villagers until the rear-guard came up to think 
better of their determination. About two p. m., 
still persisting in refusal, the General moved out 
with Anderson’s troop of horse-artillery (late Shah’s), 
two eighteen-pounders, Blood’s battery of four 
nine-pounders, one twenty-four-pounder howitzer, all 
the cavalry, H. M. 40th, and 41st regiments, and the 
16th, 38th, and 3rd, late Shah’s;—the 2nd brigade 
being left in charge of camp. Having moved 
under cover of a deep hollow, part of the infantry, 
and the heavy guns, took up position within breach¬ 
ing distance of the small port of Goaine; the re¬ 
mainder of the troops being so placed as to enable 
the lighter guns to play on the fort, and cut off the 

retreat of the enemy. 

«/ 

At this time the battlements and towers were 
crowded, but in an instant they were swept by the 
beautifully correct fire from the light guns, directed 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


225 


by Lieutenant Turner, of the Bengal Artillery, late 
in the Shah’s service. 

The order was given to effect a breach with the 
eighteen-pounders, which, with my company, I was 
directed to assist in placing in position. While 
engaged in working one of them over a ditch, a 
fire was opened from the guns of Shumshoodeen 
Khan, who, at the head of about twelve thousand 
men, now appeared on the hills in front of our 
position. Their first shot was rather short, but the 
second, which was finely directed, plunged into 
the centre of my company and the artillery¬ 
men, whom we were assisting with the guns. I 
fully expected to have found that I had lost a few 
of my men, but, when the clouds of dust it had 
raised cleared off there, we were all right, not even 
the gun-carriage splintered. Crowded together as 
we were at the time it came among us, it was mat¬ 
ter for surprise how the ball got inside the knot we 
formed round the gun, without grazing any one, 
and much more how it should have bounded on 
without inflicting any injury. 

The eighteen-pounders made little or no impres¬ 
sion on the mud walls, the fire was not concentrated, 
and the balls merely made small holes in different 
parts of these efficient defences. 

Lieutenant Terry volunteered to blow open the 
gate with the twenty-four-pounder howitzer, if a 
company of infantry was sent to support him. 
Lieutenant Wakefield therefore accompanied him 

Q 








226 FOUR years’ service in the east 

with the grenadiers of the 40th ; they approached 
the gate, but Shumshoodeen Khan advancing, caused 
the General to abandon the fort for the present, and 
direct his whole force against the Ghuznee Chief. 

During the w T hole time that the guns were play¬ 
ing on the battlements, one man, who seemed to 
bear a charmed life, in the midst of the shrapnel 
that was bursting around him stood uninjured 
and undismayed, ever and anon addressing us in a 
fine clear-toned voice, and w r aving his sword in scorn 
and derision at our futile attempts to enter his 
stronghold. Occasionally he held up to view the 
skin of some animal stuffed with straw. The par¬ 
ticular point of this, however, we never could disco¬ 
ver ; though, during our progress through Affghan- 
istan, we observed similar objects in several of the 
deserted forts we visited. 

Meanwhile Shumshoodeen’s artillery was directed 
on the regiments of infantry which, during the at¬ 
tempts to breach, had been ordered to pile arms 
and stand at ease , a military manoeuvre which gene¬ 
rally can be effected with facility, but which is diffi¬ 
cult of continuance when under the fire of an enemy. 

We were all young soldiers, and few had ever 
been exposed to the influence of round shot; it was 
most amusing therefore to see the graceful but in¬ 
voluntary obeisance made along the whole of our 
line, as each succeeding shot from the enemy’s guns 
seemed almost to graze our heads. 

Anderson’s troop was now brought up on our 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 227 

right, our guns were opened on the hill, whence 
the fire of the opposing army proceeded, and for 
a time the artillery on both sides had all the fun 
to themselves. 

At length Shumshoodeen advanced into the 
plains, his troops, as they approached our line, beat¬ 
ing their tom-toms, and uttering the most discord¬ 
ant yells. An attempt was made by them to pass 
our right flank and gain our camp; this was how¬ 
ever frustrated, and our infantry, covered by the 
light companies and guns, advanced in open co¬ 
lumns of divisions towards the right, where the 
enemy were now in position. The practice from 
the guns under Lieutenant Turner’s direction, was 
at this time most beautiful, both from its precision 
and the celerity with which the movements of his 
troop were executed. As we neared the enemy, 
we formed a widely-extended line, and continued 
to move steadily on ; we were received with shouts 
and many volleys from the matchlock-men, but, as 
usual, their fire was ill-directed. Having gained the 
bottom of the hill, on the crest of which the op¬ 
posing army had made their stand, a loud hurrah 
burst from our line ; this was succeeded by an 
irresistible British charge, and the enemy, succumb¬ 
ing to the superiority of the bayonet over the 
sword and shield, broke and fled. 

Here we much felt the want—from which we 
had so long suffered—of cavalry in sufficient num¬ 
bers to reap the advantage of our victories. If the 

Q 2 









228 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

British had had a few more squadrons, not many 
of their enemies would have escaped this day. 

One of the guns which was abandoned fell into 
the hands of the light company; another, through 
the gallantry of Captain Christie, and Lieutenant 
Chamberlain with the Bengal cavalry, formerly in 
the Shah’s service, was captured late in the evening. 
The enemy attempted to take it off the field, but 
Lieutenant Chamberlain dashing forward, succeeded 
in cutting the traces of one of the horses, and the 
cavalry, who were close behind, cut up the artillery¬ 
men—most of whom (Mussulmen) were deserters 
from our service—and secured the gun. The prac¬ 
tice of the enemy’s guns was exceedingly fine, but 
that they did not do much execution, was on ac¬ 
count of the great elevation they required from 
being fired at such a long range, and the front of 
our position being ploughed fields, the softness of 
which prevented the balls ricocheting. 

The whole of the enemy’s camp, all their am¬ 
munition, which was principally British and had 
been taken at Ghuznee from our garrison, and two 
of their guns, fell into our hands. 

We returned home late at night, the light com¬ 
panies, under Captain White of the 40th, having 
been left to bring in the guns, &c., which had 
been captured. Ammunition we did not require, 
so the remains were destroyed after the men had 
filled their pouches. 

In the dispatch of General Nott, owing to some 


















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


229 


oversight, no mention is made of H.M. 41st having 
been engaged at Goaine, nor is any allusion made 
to the services of Captain Christie and Lieutenant 
Chamberlain. General Nott when spoken to on 
the subject of the 41st, by the gallant commander 
of that distinguished regiment, expressed his re¬ 
gret at the omission, and immediately volunteered 
writing to Government, the Commander-in-chief, &c. 

With reference to Captain Christie and Lieu¬ 
tenant Chamberlain, it certainly was a matter of 
regret their not being mentioned. General Nott 
has been much blamed for the omission of the 
names of several officers in his dispatches; I do 
not mean to argue that the present is a case in 
point, but 1 conceive that many of the omissions 
complained of were more to be attributed to the 
commanding officers of brigades and corps, who 
failed to send in the names of deserving officers, 
than to the General, who could not possibly see 
every one. 

The dispatches of General Nott, notwithstand¬ 
ing the many faults which have been attributed 
to them, will be generally confessed, from their 
singular clearness and conciseness, to be the most 
soldier-like productions with which of late years we 
have been favoured. 

The intention was to have attacked the fort 
of Goaine on the morning of the 31st, but during 
the night it was deserted. Halting on the 31st, 
we employed that day in restocking our comissariat 











230 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

from such supplies for our necessities as we found in 
Goaine. The guns which we had captured were 
burst to-day. 

We were joined to-day by a party of Huzaurehs, 
a tribe inhabiting the Paropamisan Mountains be¬ 
tween Cabul and Ghuznee; but they are quite 
a distinct race from the AfFghans, being much 
smaller, and not such fine-looking men ; their fea¬ 
tures denote their Tartar extraction, but little ap¬ 
pears to be known of their real origin. Their 
women, it is said, are handsome, and the few of the 
chiefs we saw appeared to be quite of a different 
nation from their followers, being tall, handsome 
men, their features rather of the Grecian character.* 

They professed the greatest possible friendship 
for us; their regard, however, was more likely to 
be the result of their detestation of the AfFghans, 

* “ The women are often very handsome, and, what is surpris¬ 
ing in a tribe so nearly savage, they have an ascendancy unexam¬ 
pled in the neighbouring countries. The wife manages the house, 
takes care of the property, does her share of the honors, and is 
very much consulted in all her husband’s measures. Women are 
never beaten, and they have no concealment. It is universally 
agreed that they are by no means remarkable for chastity, but I 
have heard different accounts of their libertinism. In the north¬ 
east, which is the most civilized part of the country, the women 
would prostitute themselves for money while their husbands were 
out of the way ; but the men, though not jealous, would probably 
put a detected adultress to death. In other parts of the country 
there prevails a custom called Koorro Bistaun, by which the hus¬ 
band lends his wife to the embraces of his guests. At all times, 
if a husband of that part of the country finds a pair of slippers at 
his wife’s door, he immediately withdraws. Both sexes spend a 








WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 231 

for whom they entertain all that inveterate hatred 
which difference in faith, and the most rancorous 
bigotry, never fail to produce, and which, under 
the hallowed but abused name of religion, is even 
in our civilized country so sacrilegiously, so in¬ 
tolerantly, and so impiously indulged. 

They strongly urged upon us the propriety of 
exterminating all Soonees, they themselves being 
most enthusiastic followers of Ali, and consequently 
Sheeahs. They also expressed a hope that we 
should rase Ghuznee to the ground; and, above all, 
that we should destroy or carry off Jubber Jhung, 
the large brass gun (sixty-four pounder), in that 
fort, for which they appeared to entertain a most 
religious horror. 

The numerous forts in the valley, which were 
deserted, they set fire to, and expressed with much 
warmth their astonishment at our forbearance. We 
remonstrated with them on the wantonness of the 


great deal of their time in sitting in the honse round a stove. 
They are all great singers and players on the guitar, and many of 
them are poets. Lovers and their mistresses sing verses to each 
other of their own composing, and men often sit for hours rail¬ 
ing at each other in extemporaneous satire. 

“ Their amusements out of doors are hunting, shooting deer, 
and racing. They clear a spot for the last-mentioned amusement 
and ride bare-backed : the stake is often a great many sheep, 
oxen, or suits of clothes. They also shoot at marks for similar 
wagers. They are all good archers and good shots : every man has a 
matchlock. Their other arms are a Persian sword, a long narrow 
dagger in a wooden sheath, and sometimes a spear.” Elchin- 
stone s Account of the Kingdom of Caubul , &c. vol. ii. p. 209. 










232 FOUR YEARS' SERVICE IN THE EAST 

destruction, and pointed out the probability of the 
retribution which would await them on our de¬ 
parture. To all our representations the answer 
given was, “ Very true, but revenge is sweet, and 
we shall never have such another opportunity.” A 
strong party of this tribe followed in our train 
nearly to Cabul, spreading destruction through the 
country, (the villages in which were generally de¬ 
serted,) unsanctioned, however, by us, although by 
our presence they were empowered to do so. They 
were the means of inflicting a fearful punishment 
on the Affghans for those disasters which we our¬ 
selves had advanced to punish, and afterwards 
avenged with more dignified severity. 

1st September. Marched to Chuppa Klianna in 
the country of the Huzaurehs, who, being our 
friends , received us most kindly; from their numer¬ 
ous villages we received supplies of grain, forage, 
&c., in abundance. Our encampment was near 
the hills, and prettily situated. The valley pre¬ 
sented a most curious appearance; on our left 
were the numerous Huzaureli forts, enjoying a tem¬ 
porary quiet and prosperity; while on the right, 
were those of the Affghans, emitting clouds of 
smoke and flame. In the darkness of the night 
the spectacle presented by the lurid glare from those 
burning towers was exceedingly grand, but the 
misery and privation which were to follow on this 
destruction of property, was subject for painful 
contemplation. 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


233 


The thanks of the General to the troops, for 
their conduct at Goaine, was conveyed to them 
to-day in a most laconic order. 

2nd. To Nooshakee.—Country richly cultivated, 
and dotted with numerous forts, all of which, 
not belonging to the Huzaurehs, shared from 
them the same fate as those near our halting- 
ground. 

3rd. To Nam a, twelve miles over a barren, un¬ 
interesting country: a reconnoitring party of about 
two hundred horse from Ghuznee took a look at 
us, from a distance , to-day. Several Sepoys of the 
27th came into camp to-day; they stated that num¬ 
bers of their brethren had been murdered by the 
Affghans as soon as our advance was known, and 
that they owed their safety to having escaped into 
the Huzaureh country. 

4th. Made a short march of eight miles, near 
the end of which we came in full view of Ghuznee ; 
encamped about two miles from the city, close to 
some gardens, from which our light company had 
to drive a few of the enemy. 

The plain was studded with small forts, and was 
extensively cultivated; there were also some fine 
orchards, particularly near Rosah, which added 
much to the beauty of the scenery. 

On the range of hills to the north-east of Ghuznee, 
is the village of Behlole ; here we could see num¬ 
bers of the enemy, and a tolerable display of ban¬ 
ners. There did not appear to be many people 


















234 FOUR years' service in the east 

inside the fortress, which, with the exception of the 
citadel and walls, seemed to be in ruins. 

Contrary to our expectations, we were unmo¬ 
lested during the day. In the afternoon numerous 
small parties, principally of infantry, were observed 
to be moving towards Ghuznee, from which we con¬ 
cluded that we should have some work in storm¬ 
ing the place. We found quantities of lucerne, 
grain, vegetables, grapes, &c., lying about in great 
profusion in the gardens near us. 

5th. Moved to-day for the purpose of pitching 
our camp on the Cabul road, previous to com¬ 
mencing seriously the capture of Ghuznee; had to 
cross over a very difficult country for the guns, 
it being much intersected with deep and broad 
water-courses, most of which were filled with water. 

Major Saunders, chief engineer, with the 16th 
Bengal regiment, proceeded to reconnoitre the fort, 
for the purpose of selecting a point for breaching. 
As he approached the village of Behlole, strong 
parties from the enemy, who had come out of gar¬ 
rison and occupied the heights to the north-east of 
the city, advanced to meet him, and the 16th soon 
became engaged with much superior numbers. Cap¬ 
tain White, 40th regiment, with the light com¬ 
panies, moved to their support; and at length the 
General advanced with some of the other corps, 
leaving a portion to protect the baggage and camp, 
which was being pitched. The affair now be¬ 
came general. The 16th and the light companies, 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


285 


drove the enemy from Behlole; and H. M. 40tli 
and 88th regiments-—whose advance I had the 
honour to cover—with the grenadiers, under Lieu¬ 
tenant Wakefield, and No. 1, (my own company,) 
stormed and carried the heights on the extreme left 
of the enemy’s position; some of the corps be¬ 
longing to the 2nd brigade being as actively and 
successfully employed against other parts of the 
hill. 

Shumshoodeen Khan, who had been considerably 
reinforced by Sultan Jan, from Cabul, now retired 
with his infantry within the walls; the cavalry re¬ 
maining outside, and making some slight attacks 
on the baggage and rear-guard, which were, how¬ 
ever, gallantly repulsed. 

One of the batteries in the fort completely 
enfiladed the heights above Behlole, and a well- 
directed fire therefrom compelled us to hug mother- 
earth most affectionately: by scattering and lying 
down we escaped without receiving much injury. 

About one p. m., the 40th was relieved from the 
heights and marched into camp, being exposed to 
a heavy fire from the fort in moving along the 
plain between the heights we had stormed and 
where our tents were pitched. 

The enemy waited patiently until they saw all 
our tents up, and everything in camp made snug. 
Not thinking of any interruption, we had com¬ 
menced breakfast, when, of a sudden, a loud re¬ 
port was heard, and a most unwelcome messenger 










236 FOUR years’ service in the east 

in the shape of a sixty-four-pound shot from the 
great brass gun, Jubber Jhung, came whizzing 
through the air, grazing the ridge-pole of our mess- 
tent, and landing at length among some camels in 
rear, destroying several. Some would-be comforter 
assured us that from the difficulty of managing this 
gun, a space of twenty minutes at least elapsed 
between each shot,—this, however, we soon found 
to be a traveller’s tale, and shot after shot suc¬ 
ceeded with astonishing rapidity. Such an accom¬ 
paniment did not at all add to the comfort of our 
meal. On our native servants, who are not much 
famed for courage, Jubber Jhung produced a start¬ 
ling effect;— acting like a powerful alterative , and 
transforming them at once, at least as far as com¬ 
plexion was concerned, into Europeans. There was 
an intensity of anguish in their looks, and an ex¬ 
pression of the deepest concern and regret that 
they had been induced to come so far from home. 

The balls were made of wrought iron, and had 
been formed roughly with the hammer; of course, 
from their many points and angles, the hissing noise 
that they made whirling through the air, was some¬ 
thing extraordinary, if not terrific. 

Orders were given to move camp near Rosah, and 
during a considerable experience in marching, I 
never saw any camp struck with such celerity. As 
soon as we got to our new camp, our followers 
made a rush to the orchards of Rosah, and com¬ 
menced helping themselves to the grapes, &c.: this, 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 237 

however, was immediately put a stop to by the 
General. 

Two of our nine-pounders were placed on the 
heights on the N.E. and soon succeeded in 
silencing the enemy’s battery; the former with two 
corps of infantry were left for the night in pos¬ 
session of the heights and village of Behlole. 

Major Saunders having selected an advantageous 
point for breaching, fatigue parties were warned to 
move down at dark, to commence the work of 
digging the trenches. The remainder of the infantry 
in camp were ordered to parade early the following 
morning, to place in position the eighteen-pounders, 
which it was hoped we should be able to open on 
the fort the following day. 

During the night we were unmolested, and the 
work of digging the trenches went on most favour¬ 
ably. On the morning of the 6th the division 
paraded according to order, when, to our astonish¬ 
ment, we saw that the fort was already in our pos¬ 
session. The following extract from the memoran¬ 
dum of Major Saunders explains the circumstances 
better than I can hope to do—so I copy it:— 

“ Early on the evening of the 5th a brisk match¬ 
lock fire was kept up from the citadel on the hill, 
but this gradually slackened, and at ten p.m. had 
entirely ceased. The enemy’s infantry had been 
observed at dark, crossing the river near the 
water-gate, with the intention, it was supposed, 
of attacking the working party during the night; 

















238 FOUR years’ service in the east 

but towards the morning of the 6th, there were 
grounds for believing the fort was evacuated: at 
day-light this was ascertained to be the case by 
Lieutenant North of the Engineers, who took 
possession at that hour of the water-gate without 
opposition, leaving Lieutenant Newton and twenty 
Sepoys of the 16th Native Infantry in charge of 
the gate-way, and returning to the battery for fur¬ 
ther assistance. The whole of the working party 
was immediately moved into the town, of which, 
and of the citadel of Ghuznee, they were in pos¬ 
session before sun-rise.” 

Thus was accomplished the capture of Ghuznee, 
and thus had one of our “ past disasters been re¬ 
trieved and avenged” on one of the “scenes on 
which they were sustained.” 

The General rode down, accompanied by some of 
the senior officers, to inspect the renowned fortress 
of Ghuznee. The Cabul Gate by which Lord 
Keane’s army had entered, the enemy had deter¬ 
mined should not be the place of ingress for a 
second victorious British army; they had built up 
outside it a brick-wall, and the gates were doubly 
secured and barricaded inside with beams of wood. 

Great quantities of our own powder were found 
in the magazine in the citadel, a portion of which 
was appropriated this morning to blowing up the 
Cabul Gateway. In the forenoon I visited this 
scene of our successes. 

Ghuznee is built on the slope of a hill nearly 












WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


239 


eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, and 
is surrounded by stone walls, and a deep wet ditch, 
which is filled from a tolerably rapid stream that 
flows along the north-east face of the fort. 

The wall was very strong, and presented few places 
where a practicable breach could have been easily 
made; indeed the judgment of our engineer was 
evinced by selecting perhaps the only point where 
this could have been effected with the means at 
our disposal, and the short period we could com¬ 
mand to achieve such an undertaking. The entrance 
by the different gates was through high, vaulted, 
but narrow and tortuous passages;— all the ap¬ 
proaches to the gates were commanded, and the 
walls in every direction loop-holed. The citadel is 
on the right of the entrance to the Cabul Gate; 
it is built much higher than the town, and is 
approached by a very steep ascent, at the top of 
which is cut out of the hill, a large platform ; here 
our friend Jubber Jhung was placed, a fine piece 
of brass ordnance, beautifully ornamented. Se¬ 
veral other guns were near this, and others distri¬ 
buted over different parts of the defences. Most 
of the guns, I believe, were manufactured at Herat. 

The town, as we supposed, was in ruins; there 
were the remains of three very mean-looking ba¬ 
zaars and a charsoo. A great proportion of the 
inhabitants at the time of the massacre were Hin¬ 
doos, who, in this country, are generally the most 
wealthy men; they were all killed by the Gazees 













240 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


(Moslem fanatics) and their houses destroyed,—mise¬ 
rable mud huts, but transformed by an Indian jour¬ 
nal in noticing our destruction of this city, into “ the 
noble edifices” of Ghuznee. 

The buildings in the citadel alone were in a state 
of preservation; many of the rooms were lofty and 
well-proportioned, the ceilings of some were beauti¬ 
fully ornamented with a sort of mosaic work. 

Here had our officers been imprisoned, and on the 
walls were written their names, and statements of 
Colonel Palmer having been put to torture, and of 
other indignities to which they had been subjected,— 
offering a striking contrast to the treatment received 
by the Cabul prisoners at the hands of Akbar Khan. 

Little is left to tell of the grandeur of this 
ancient city.* The mighty warrior by whom it was 

* “ Ghuznee itself, which eight centuries ago was the capital 
of an empire reaching from the Tigris to the Ganges, and from 
the Ioxartes to the Persian Gulf, is now reduced to a town con¬ 
taining about fifteen hundred houses, besides suburbs without the 
walls. The town stands on a height, at the foot of which flows a 
pretty large stream. It is surrounded by stone walls, and contains 
three bazaars of no great breadth, with high houses on each side, 
and a covered Chaursoo, besides several dark and narrow streets. 
Some few remains of the ancient grandeur of the city are still to 
be seen in its neighbourhood, particularly two lofty minarets, 
which stand at some distance from each other, and are of different 
heights, the least upwards of one hundred feet high. The tomb 
of the Great Sultan is also standing, about three miles from the 
city. It is a spacious but not a magnificent building, covered 
with a cupola. The doors, which are very large, are of sandal¬ 
wood, and are said to have been brought by the Sultan as a trophy 
from the famous temple of Somnaut in Guzerat, which he sacked 












WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


241 


founded, its beauty and its glory, liave lived and 
passed away, and but for books,—those memorials of 
what has been—one would not recognize in the 
crumbling ruins and mounds of rubbish about Ghuz- 
nee, the remains of the former capital of a powerful 
empire. 

To the north-east of the town are two loftv and 
very exquisitely-sculptured minarets,— 44 they mark 
the spot where stood the celebrated Mosque, impi¬ 
ously called 4 The Celestial Bride.’ ” 

About three miles from Ghuznee is the beauti¬ 
fully situated village of Rozah, surrounded by mag- 

in his last expedition to India. The tombstone is of white 
marble, on which are sculptured Arabic verses from the Koraun, 
and at its head lies the plain but weighty mace which is said to 
have been wielded by the monarch himself. It is of wood, with 
a head of metal so heavy that few men can use it. There are also 
some thrones, or chairs, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, in the tomb, 
which are said to have belonged to Mahmood. The tombstone is 
under a canopy, and some Mollahs are still maintained, who in¬ 
cessantly read the Koraun aloud over the grave. 

“ There are some other ruins of less note, among which are the 
tombs of Behlole Dauna (or Behlole the Wise) and that of Hukeem 
Sunauee, a poet still greatly esteemed in Persia ; but nothing re¬ 
mains to show the magnificence of the palaces of the Guznavide 
kings (which at one time were the residence of Ferdausee, the 
Homer of Asia), or of the mosques, baths, and caravansaries, 
which once adorned the capital of the East. Of all the anti¬ 
quities of Ghuznee, the most useful is an embankment across a 
stream, which was built by Mahmood, and which, though da¬ 
maged by the guns of the Ghoree kings at the capture of 
Ghuznee, still supplies water to the fields and gardens round the 
town.” Elphinstones Account of the Kingdom of Cciubul, vol. ii. 
p. 141. 

R 















242 FOUR years’ service in the east 

nificent orchards. Here, in a spacious but not 
elegant building, under a tomb of white marble, on 
which are engraved some verses from the Koran, 
rest the mortal remains of the once mighty Sul¬ 
tan Mahmood. 

7th. The destruction of the town and citadel 
of Ghuznee was commenced. In the course 
of the day I visited the tomb of Mahmood, and 
saw the elaborately-carved sandal-wood gates of 
Soomnauth, our appropriation of which afforded 
such an excellent opportunity for vituperative com¬ 
ment to that pharisaical portion of the community, 
who, assuming a moral superiority over their fellow- 
men, with characteristic hypocrisy and uncharitable¬ 
ness ever distort and denounce the actions of 
others. 

8th. During the night we experienced considerable 
annoyance from the firing of the enemy into camp • 
one sentry was shot at his post and several others 
were wounded.—All the guns found in Ghuznee were 
burst to-day, and the commissariat was replenished 
from the supplies of grain, flour, &c. which were 
left in the town. Copies of the treaties made with 
our officers were found in the citadel, also a few 
portions of camp equipage. 

During our halt at Ghuznee, upwards of three 
hundred of our Sepoys, who had been sold into sla¬ 
very, escaped from their masters and joined our 
camp. 

On the 9th we broke ground and advanced two 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 243 

miles on the Cabul road; the defences of Ghuznee 
had now been completely destroyed, and the citadel 
reduced to a heap of smouldering ruins. In the 
forenoon we took the sandal-wood Gates from the 
tomb of Sultan Mahmood of Ghuznee, amid the 
wailings and tears of the numerous Fakeers attend¬ 
ing the shrine, who regarded them, as their most 
valuable treasure. They were carried from the tomb, 
escorted by a company of H. M. 40th regiment, and 
doubtless, “ curses, not loud but deep,” from the 
Moslem priests were sent after us, for our abstrac¬ 
tion of these precious memorials of Mahommedan 
ascendancy, from the sanctuary where, eight hun¬ 
dred years before, they had been placed in tri¬ 
umph.* 


* For Despatches vide Appendix. 













244 FOUR years' service in the east 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

March from Ghuznee.—Destruction of Fort where Captain Wood- 
burn had been killed.—Attack on Camp.—Beni Badam.— 
Recovery of some of the Cabul Prisoners.—Sir Richmond 
Shakespeare.—Candahar Division arrives at Cabul.—General 
Pollock comes over to Candahar Camp.— His Interview 
with General Nott.—General Sale marches with a Brigade 
en route to Bamean.—Return of the Prisoners.—General Nott. 
—Cabul.—Tomb of the Emperor Baber.—Cabul Valley.—- 
Lady Sale and the Female Captives.—Force proceeds to Istaliff 
under General MacCaskill.—Victory at Istaliff.—Destruction 
of Cabul Bazaar. 

On the morning of the 10th September, we left 
the neighburhood of Ghuznee, carrying with us the 
“ Gates of Somnauth,”—proud and memorable tro¬ 
phies of our successes. On the subject of these 
gates, a great deal of the most sickening cant has 
been expended, and, in their mean desire for find¬ 
ing fault, some writers and many speakers have 
most effectually overreached themselves, and been 
singularly successful in displaying their ignorance 
of the topic they attempted to discuss. Much was 
heard of the insulted feelings of our Mahommedan 
Sepoys. In what had those violated feelings been 
shown ? They were to be found expressed in that 
general elation of heart with which they, in com¬ 
mon with their European and Hindoo brethren, re- 



























WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


245 


garded these proofs of victory,—in the joy that they 
had been wrested from the band of our enemies,— 
and, in the intensity of their anxiety, that they 
should be transported in triumph and safety over 
the mighty Indus. 

Our march to-day was to Shushgao,, twelve miles. 
The ascent on this march is very great. About 
half-way we entered a narrow defile of about two 
miles in length, the road through which is very stony; 
and we ascended higher than we had yet been, the 
point of greatest altitude in to-day’s march being 
considerably more than eight thousand feet above 
the level of the sea. At the top of the Pass is an 

old and very small fort which commands it both 

% 

ways; it is now, however, a complete ruin, and part 
of the walls fell down in consequence of the vi¬ 
bration caused by our heavy guns passing near it. 
Our encampment w’as considerably lower than the 
pass, in a narrow valley in which there were a num¬ 
ber of mud forts, all of which we found deserted, 
but fortunately for us full of grain, lucerne, &c.; 
the hills to the right and left of the valley are 
barren and uninteresting. We heard to-day that 
Akbar Khan had ordered the prisoners off to 
Bamean. 

11th. To Puttonah, thirteen miles. During the 
night we were much annoyed by the continual 
firing of the enemy into camp. Our road skirted 
the hills, from which a number of beautifully clear 
springs gushed out. The undulating country im- 



















246 FOUR years' service in the east 

proved much as we advanced ; the crops were mostly 

off the ground when we passed, but there were 

* 

proofs of its being extensively cultivated. There 
were numerous forts dotting the country in all di¬ 
rections ; they were, however, generally deserted, but 
the inhabitants had most kindly and considerately 
left in them supplies of grain, &c. needful for our 
cattle. The weather had now become very cold, 
and we began to feel the advantage of our nim- 
chees* The news we received to-day was, that 
General Pollock had commenced his march on 
Cabul. 

12th. To Seyedabad, eleven miles. Departed 

from the usual routine-marches laid down, and 
* 

halted here in order to blow up a small fort in 
which Captain Woodburn, 24th Bengal N. I., and 
nearly two hundred Sepoys, had been murdered in 
November, 1841, on their way to Ghuznee. He 
had been attacked outside by a superior force, 
and was received into the fort with promise of pro¬ 
tection ; but no sooner had he entered it than 
he was fired upon, and he and all his followers 
treacherously massacred. The fort, which was one 
of the strongest and most picturesque we had seen, 
was deserted ; in one of the small huts inside, was 
found poor Woodburn’s will, his forage cap, a tea¬ 
cup, and several of the Sepoys’ breast-plates. 

* A nimchee is a small fur cloak. During rain the hairy side 
is worn outside ; on other occasions it is worn inside. Every offi¬ 
cer and soldier in the division wore one during the campaign. 










WITH II. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


247 


Fatigue-parties were employed to-day in the de¬ 
struction of the fort, and in the evening one of the 
bastions was blown up, and the houses inside fired. 
The road to-day was exceedingly heavy, passing 
through a tortuous and narrow valley covered with 
large loose stones. The scenery, however, was truly 
beautiful, and there were evidences of very exten¬ 
sive cultivation. Our encampment was badly se¬ 
lected, being intersected and surrounded by deep 
ravines; and as the night advanced we found the 
disadvantages of our position, for the enemy, exas¬ 
perated by the destruction of one of their best forts, 
seemed determined to avenge their loss. Soon after 
dark they assembled on all sides in great numbers, 
uttering the most fiendish yells as they advanced ; 
and during the night, they attacked our piquets 
several times, pouring into them an incessant fire 
from their matchlocks, to be answered unremittingly 
by a roll of musketry from our men. Ever since 
leaving Mookur, we had been accustomed to have 
our camp fired into at night, and had become so 
used to it, that it seldom interfered with the rest 
of those who did not happen to be on duty. But 
at Seyedabad, there was a something in the jackall 
howling which accompanied the enemies’ expendi¬ 
ture of ammunition, which most effectually prevented 
any one from indulging in balmy sleep. The nature 
of the ground, too, was favourable to any attempt to 
enter camp, it being perfectly impossible to guard 
the innumerable ravines, under cover of which it 


















248 FOUR years' service in the east 

would have been easy to effect an entrance. Volley 
succeeded volley, and the most dreadful shrieks 
rent the air; every instant we expected a portion 
of our assailants would be among our tents, and 
there were few if any who were not prepared for 
active service at a moments learning. Under cover 
of the darkness of the night and the excessive bad¬ 
ness of the ground, the enemy were enabled, unseen 
in some instances, to get close up to our sentries, 
two of whom were shot on their posts, notwith¬ 
standing great care and judgment had been evinced 
in placing them by Lieutenant Todd of the 40th, 
who was on piquet. Towards morning the firing 
discontinued, and ere 44 the General” had beat it 
had ceased altogether. 

During the day, two men of II. M. 41st, who 
wandered a short distance from camp, were slain 
near the place wdiere Colonel Herring, of the 
Bengal service had been barbarously murdered in 
1839 or 1840. 

13th. Continued our march through the valley 
of Logur nearly eight miles; crossed the river 
near Shirkabad, and moving for about two miles, 
encamped on clear ground. The part of the vale 
through which we passed to-day was very narrow, 
with high steep bills on either side; these were 
occupied in great numbers by the enemy, who 
greeted the columns with a continued discharge 
from their matchlocks, gingals, and jessails,-—but we 
did not sustain much injury. The road generally 













WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, 


249 


was heavy and contracted, and where it wound along 
the banks of the Logur river, precipitous and 
crumbling. Our rear-guard met with considerable 
annoyance to-day, the narrowness of the valley, and 
the badness of the road, making it tedious and diffi¬ 
cult for the passage of our interminable baggage. 
Turner, Bengal Artillery, who was in charge of the 
guns, with the rear-guard, got some opportunity of 
displaying his prowess in the art of gunnery, and 
did considerable damage in the ranks of our oppo¬ 
nents. The villages as usual deserted, but we had 
no difficulty in procuring supplies for our cattle. 
Our sheep did not improve by marching, and the 
joints on our mess-tables shewed more of the bone 
and less of the meat than accorded well with our 
excellent appetites. 

The attack on camp last night was, we ascer¬ 
tained to-day, planned by a deserter from our cause, 
formerly a native officer* in the 27th regiment, 
which he had left at Ghuznee. 

In the evening the hills in rear of camp were oc¬ 
cupied in some force by the enemy. Captain Malet, 
3rd Bombay Cavalry, was sent with a squadron to 
clear the heights, and afterwards, as the hilly and 
broken nature of the ground was not considered 
well adapted for cavalry operations, I was di¬ 
rected with four companies of the 40th to move 
after him. As we advanced the enemy retired, and 

* He afterwards gave himself up, and was shot pursuant to 
the sentence of a general court-martial, by which he was tried. 



















250 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

we took possession of tlie heights, after exchanging 
a few long shots. We maintained onr position 
until dark, when we retired quietly, with the loss 
of one trooper killed and a few men wounded. 
During the night we were unmolested, and had 
not even the usual entertainment of being fired 
into. Received a deputation from the Kuzilbaches 
to-night, intimating that they had withdrawn their 
allegiance from Akbar Khan, and were anxious to 
aid us in every way in their power; a proof of the 
decay of his cause, and that our new allies were 
not of 

“ The frien’s we can trust 
When the win’s o’ adversitie blaw.” 

14th. To Beni-badam, thirteen miles; our road 
close to a range of high hills on the left. As we 
advanced, we saw detached bodies of horse and foot 
with their many banners moving along the hills; 
but as we received authentic intelligence of the 
defeat of Akbar Khan at Tezeen, by General Pol¬ 
lock, and of the intention of the latter to enter 
Cabul on the 14th or 15th, we did not anticipate 
that we should meet with any further opposition in 
our progress to the capital. 

As we approached our encamping ground we 
observed the enemy in great force on a high rugged 
hill, upwards of a mile in front of where we were 
to pitch. Close to a small fort at the foot of this 
hill was Shumshoodeen Khan and Sultan Jan with 
their cavalry,—the latter, however, drew off as we 



WITH II. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


251 


advanced. General Nott having determined on 
clearing the heights, Captain F. White, 40th regi¬ 
ment, who commanded all the light companies of 
the force, was directed to perform this duty, which 
he did in the most gallant style, with some slight 
loss. General Nott moved off to camp, shortly 
after which Brigadier Wymer ordered Lieutenant 
Wakefield with the Grenadiers of H. M. 40th, to 
clear a detached hill on which there was a consider¬ 
able number of the enemy, who were firing on our 
baggage as it passed; this service was effected in an 
equally spirited manner,—Lieutenant Eager, one of 
the officers of the grenadiers’ company, being 
severely wounded. In the dispatches* announcing 
this success, no mention is made of the services of 
the grenadier company; this, however, may perhaps 
be accounted for, by General Nott having left the 
field before it was employed, under the impression 
that all the heights had been secured; or possibly 
by his not having been made acquainted with the 
circumstances previous to transmitting his dispatch. 

Very shortly after the Affghans had been driven 
from their position, the light companies and the 
grenadiers were withdrawn under cover of the 
Artillery, who kept up a brisk fire on the heights :— 
all the troops then moved into camp, and the enemy 
of course re-occupied the hills.f 

* See Appendix F. 

t It seemed extraordinary that the General should have taken 
the trouble to occupy the heights, they being at such a distance 





















252 FOUR years' service in the east 

Our encampment was situated in the centre of 
a large plain, surrounded by high and barren hills: 
towards the afternoon they seemed to swarm with 
the enemy, who kept up from them a continual but 
harmless fire the rest of the day. As evening 
approached, their numbers increased; and their 
monotonous and wolf-like shrieks wafted on the 
breeze broke most unpleasantly on the ear. 

Anticipating that it was their intention to 
attempt an attack on camp during the night, guns 
were placed in different positions after suu-set, so 
as to command those points which appeared most 
favourable to the enemy’s approach. At night, the 
hills by which we were surrounded had a peculiar 
and beautiful appearance, from the thousand camp¬ 
fires of the enemy gleaming like meteors in the 
darkness on the mountain sides. 

As night advanced, there was a lull in the firing 
and discordant yells, and shortly after the twinkling 
of the enemy’s matchlocks was distinctly seen in a 
ravine some distance to the rear of camp: on this 
one of our eighteen-pounders was brought to bear; 
a shrapnel was discharged, which, bursting in the 
very gorge, was succeeded by a shriek of horror 
from the mass among whom it had so unexpectedly 
exploded. Silence followed, and the rest of the 
night was passed unmolested. 


from our ground. It was said that he had done so, not having 
correctly understood the position Camp was to occupy. 


WITH II. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


253 


In the dispatch of the events of this day, I was 
delighted to see honourable mention made of my 
old and valued friend Ferdinand AVhite; and in 
after months I was equally rejoiced to find his name 
am on o' those who were rewarded for distinguished 
services during the campaign. 

It was a subject of great regret to us all, that 
General Pollock had deemed it expedient to move 
on to Cabul before our arrival there, we having 
expected from the arrangement entered into, if not 
made by him, with General Nott, that both armies 
were to enter that city on the same day. 

15th. To Maidan, six miles; moved close to the 
range of hills on our right, which were occupied 
by small parties of the enemy. A few of them 
came down into the plain, and commenced firing 
on us, which was reciprocated with interest by our 
skirmishers. Having advanced about five miles, 
there is a narrow gorge in the mountain through 
which we passed from the valley wherein we had 
been encamped yesterday en route to Maidan. The 
river Cabul flows through this pass. Here are 
the remains of a stone bridge, now perfectly im¬ 
passable; on the left bank on a high hill is- a 
small fort commanding the river here, at the only 
point where it is fordable; this in the morning was 
occupied by the enemy, but they evacuated on our 
approach. 

Having crossed the river, which was up to our 
men’s pouches, we continued our march through 








254 FOUR years’ service in the east 

paddy-fields. Had the enemy been so inclined, they 
had a much better country in to-day's route to annoy 
us, than in yesterday’s,—the latter part of our march 
being unavoidably up to our knees in mud, through 
fields which were over-liung with steep and rugged 
hills. A very slight opposition was, however, offered ; 
and the numerous forts in the rich and beautiful 
valley of Maidan were quickly secured by our 
troops. 

Our Quartermasters were driven in to-day, and 
their gallant leader, Captain Adamson, H. M. 40th, 
now 21st Fusileers, who was acting Quartermaster 
for the 40th, had a narrow escape, a matchlock 
ball having passed through the peak of his forage 
cap. The rear-guard were also more closely pressed 
than usual: the axle-tree of one of the nine- 
pounders under Lieutenant Terry broke, and the 
enemy gaining confidence from this mishap, rushed 
into the plain in immense numbers, hoping to secure 
the prize; they were allowed to come on, and when 
sufficiently near, were received with a withering fire 
of musketry and grape from a second gun, which 
compelled them to fall back. After this unex¬ 
pected repulse we received less annoyance. 

The Chief of Maidan, who had been most ac¬ 
tively employed yesterday, and even to day, against 
us, when he saw that further opposition was hope¬ 
less, came out to meet us and request protection 
for his forts. The days of conciliation and con¬ 
cession were, however, at an end, and the General 
























WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 255 

informed him that he could have no intercourse 
with him; he then retired. The crops in the val¬ 
ley were cut down and appropriated to our cattle, 
and at night the picturesquely situated forts of 
Maidan, which had been but half seen through the 
clusters of poplars and willows, were enveloped in 
smoke and flame. 

Received the cheering intelligence to-day that 
some of the prisoners had been recovered, and were 
now in General Pollock’s camp, who had taken pos¬ 
session of the Balia Hissar, at Cabul. 

16th. To Urghundee, eleven miles; road much 
intersected with ravines. On our march to-day 
passed the ground where Dhost Mahommed aban¬ 
doned his guns, on the approach of Lord Keane’s 
army, in 1839. Our encampment was good, situ¬ 
ated on a plain near a number of small forts, all of 
which were occupied, and the inhabitants of which 
most friendly. Had to pay to-day for grain, forage, 
&c., for our camels — a thing that to us, from 
want of practice in monetary payments of late, 
appeared rather strange. 

To-day it was reported that Sir Richmond Shake¬ 
speare had passed near our camp during the night, 
with five hundred or six hundred Kuzilbashes, to 
effect the release of the remaining prisoners, who 
were confined in a fort near Bamean. 

17th. Marched this morning, and encamped 
within three or four miles of Cabul. Our encamp¬ 
ment was in a lovely plain, extensively cultivated, 





























256 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

full of luxuriant gardens, and surrounded by hills 
beautifully diversified by ravines and hollows. 

Here we procured the most refreshing and lus¬ 
cious fruits:— 

“ The grapes of gold, like those that shine 
On Cashin’s hills ; pomegranates full 
Of melting sweetness ; and the pears 
And sunniest apples that Cabul 
In all its thousand gardens hears.”* 

Shortly before reaching camp, General Nott re¬ 
ceived a note from General Pollock, congratulating 
him on his arrival at Cabul, and mentioning the 
circumstance of Sir Richmond Shakespeare having 
proceeded to Bamean, in the hope of obtaining the 
release of the prisoners. 

Owing to the severe indisposition of General 
Nott, General Pollock waived ceremony as senior 
officer, and on the morning after our arrival, came 
over to the “ Candahar” camp, where he was received 
with a guard of honour and the usual salute. The 
interview between the two illustrious chiefs lasted 
for about two hours. It afterwards transpired, that 
in alluding to Sir Richmond Shakespeare having 
moved to the release of the prisoners, General Pol¬ 
lock suggested that General Nott should dispatch 
a brigade, with some cavalry and guns, towards 
Bamean, to act in concert with Sir Richmond Shake¬ 
speare, in the event of that gallant officer succeed- 


* Moore. 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


257 


ing in securing the prisoners. To this our General 
objected, on the principle that to the folly of 
despising our enemy, and sending out small parties 
of troops, many of our disasters in Affghanistan 
were to be attributed ; and he offered to move with the 
whole of the Candahar division next morning, should 
General Pollock wish. At the same time General 
Nott represented that his troops had made a long 
and arduous march from Candahar of upwards of 
three hundred miles,—it might almost be said, 
without a halt, those days on which they did not 
march being employed in some fatigue duty; 
and he suggested that a portion of General Pollock’s 
force, which had not traversed more than one-third 
of the distance, and had already rested three days 
at Cabul, should be dispatched on this duty. Ge¬ 
neral Nott also expressed surprise, that when an 
intention existed of sending a part of his force on 
the duty in question, such intention had not been 
communicated while he was at Urghundee, which 
was on the way to Bamean, instead of bringing it 
first to Cabul. 

The conduct of General Nott has been much 
canvassed; and a degree of censure has been implied 
for his not having immediately, on hearing General 
Pollock’s views, put a brigade in motion, to secure 
the return of the prisoners. Nor were there wanting 
the malevolently-disposed, who, judging of others 
by their own mean spirit, inferred that his objection 
to march arose either from indifference to the fate 

s 






















258 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

of the prisoners, or a morbid feeling of jealousy 
that Cabul had been occupied by General Pollock’s 
army before the arrival of the Candahar division. 
Such insinuations are as false as they are unworthy, 
and the shafts of malice which were thus hurled at 
the reputation of this distinguished Captain fell 
harmless and contemned. 

To the fact of General Pollock having declined to 
permit the whole “ Candahar division” moving, and 
finally decided on dispatching a brigade from his 
own force, we owe our deprivement of the honour 
of proceeding to the assistance of the prisoners—a 
matter of the deepest regret to the gallant Nott 
and his devoted army. 

On the 19 th a brigade, with some cavalry and 
guns—the command of which had been most appro¬ 
priately given to General Sale, owing probably to 
the circumstance of Lady Sale and her daughter 
being among the prisoners,—passed our camp en 
route to Bamean. 

On the 20th, we heard the joyful news that all 
the prisoners were safe in General Sale’s camp at 
Urghundee. In the evening, some of them came 
into our camp, among others, Major Eldred Pottin- 
ger, to whose decision of character and great exer¬ 
tions the captives were chiefly indebted for their 
restoration to their countrymen. The number of 
European prisoners now set at liberty was about 
one hundred and twenty. They were all dressed in 
the costume of the country, and we could not help 














WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


259 


remarking, how much more elegant and graceful is 
the loose flowing drapery of the Easterns, than the 
tight ungainly garments to which long use has 
accustomed us. 

21st. Moved camp nearer Cabul and pitched in 
a beautiful valley, on a soft green turf,—the ground 
rather damp, however, from the number of little 
rivulets that flowed through the vale. Our camp 
w r as intersected by luxuriant hedge-rows of poplar 
and wallow. Near us were several small forts, ge¬ 
nerally deserted, but filled with lucerne, grain, &c. 

This afternoon the prisoners passed our camp on 
their way to join General Pollock’s camp; the men 
of our division turned out and gave them a right 
hearty English cheer, a compliment that was also 
paid to “ The Hero of Jellalabad,” as he moved 
past with his force. 

All the grand objects of our advance had now 
been achieved; the armies of Pollock and Nott had 
met in triumph at Cabul—the prisoners, with but 
one exception, had been recovered, and thus had 
“ all past disasters been retrieved and avenged on 
“ every scene on which they were sustained, and 
“ repeated victories in the field, and the capture of 
“ the cities and citadels of Ghuznee and Cabul, 
“ had advanced the glory and established the 
“ accustomed superiority of the British arms.”* 

The names of Pollock, Nott, and Sale, are encir- 


* Lord Ellenborough’s dispatches. 










260 FOUR years’ service in the east 

cled with glory, but the brightest ray falls upon 
the Illustrious Nott, who, undismayed by ac¬ 
counts of the dread calamities occurring around 
him, or unshaken by the instructions to retire, con¬ 
ceived, urged, and at length executed that extraor¬ 
dinary march, the glorious results of which were de¬ 
veloped in the release of our prisoners, and the 
restoration of our national honour. 

Assailed by difficulties, surrounded by perils, he 
saved, by his energy, wisdom, and prudence, from 
the most imminent destruction his own force,— 
“ that army which was for so long a time neglected, 
“ but which, nevertheless, nobly upheld our na- 
“ tional honour, and during a period of four years, 
“ acted with the greatest forbearance and humanity 
“ to the people of Afghanistanand eventually, 
by the ever-memorable and splendid execution of 
his glorious advance on Cabul, he mainly contributed 
in removing the tarnish that sullied the brightness 
of our arms. “ No envy can detract from this : it 
“ will shine in history, and, like swans, grow whiter 
“ the longer it endures.”* 

Mr. Nicholson, 27th Bengal Native Infantry, one 
of the Ghuznee prisoners, joined camp to-day. The 
treatment which the captives taken at that city re¬ 
ceived from Shumshoodeen Khan must have been 
harsh indeed, and afforded a singular and, as respects 
that chief, most unfavourable contrast with the 


* Dryden. 




















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 261 

conduct the other prisoners experienced from Akbar 
Khan, who appears to be a strange mixture of 
ferocity and kindness. 

Cabul is a large city,—encompassed on three sides 
by an amphitheatre of high hills, along the crest 
of which runs a wall which is now much dilapi¬ 
dated :—near our camp was a narrow gorge be¬ 
tween two high hills, through which we had to pass 
to enter the town. The houses here are all built of 
wood, the best material for constructing buildings 
in a country so subject to earthquakes as this is. 
The bazaars, four in number, are the only buildings 
in the town possessing any beauty, and even they 
do not merit that excellence as works of art, which 
has been attributed to them; the houses therein 
are all two stories high, the streets formed by 
them being wide, and arched over, producing a con¬ 
tinuation of splendid arcades, separated by open 
spaces, in the centre of each of which is an elegant 
marble fountain. The fronts of the houses are very 
showily painted, and adorned in the usual Eastern 
taste, the ceilings of the arcades being orna¬ 
mented with mosaic-work, similar to the rooms I 
have before noticed in the citadel at Ghuznee. The 
shops are, I believe, handsome, but during our stay 
here, the town was almost deserted, so but few of 
them were to be seen; in those, however, which 
were open, there was a goodly supply of furs, silks, 
horse trappings, &c. The marks of musket-balls 
and other indications of strife were visible on the 





262 FOUR years’ service in the east 

walls. In one of these bazaars the body of Sir 
William M 4 Naughten was exposed after his murder. 
To the northward of the town is the Balia His- 
sar, surrounded by a high wall of mud, loop- 
holed in every direction. In this are the Palace 
and other buildings appertaining thereto. One 
of Shah Soojall’s sons, Futteh Jhung, who had 
proclaimed himself king, was enjoying the royal 
title for the few days we were here, so no one 
was admitted within the precincts of his Majesty’s 
abode. Near the Balia Hissar, in an open espla¬ 
nade, were all the guns that now fell into our hands, 
thirty-six in number, many of which, alas ! had been 
taken from us. There were some native guns, and 
among the rest two curious wall-guns, rifled, and 
carrying ball of about one-pound weight. Near the 
Palace was a sort of hall used for durbars; a fine 
oblong building, about two hundred feet long by 
sixty broad. The tower is used for guard-rooms, &c.; 
the upper room, where his Majesty held his levees, 
was surrounded by four open verandahs, the walls and 
ceilings of each of which were most elaborately and 
chastely painted. In rear of this building were the 
beautiful gardens of the palace ; but these had been 
laid waste during the insurrection. Commanding 
the Balia Hissar on the top of a high hill, was an 
44 upper citadel, used as a state prison for the princes 
“ of the blood,” but which is now a heap of ruins. 
From the highest point on this waved 44 the meteor 
44 flag of England.” 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


263 


The view from this upper citadel was most com¬ 
manding ; the immense town, surrounded by hills 
and orchards, lay below, and in the distance stood 
what had been the cantonments, detached and now 
ruined buildings scattered over the country,—me¬ 
morials of mal-arrangement and folly. 

To the left of the gate by which we passed from 
the citadel, is an old mosque, in a narrow compart¬ 
ment of which is entombed Shah Soojah ool Moolk : 
a small mound covered with the quilt on which 
His Majesty reclined in his palanquin when he 
was shot, marks where he is laid, but no tablet re¬ 
cords that here rest the mortal remains of the 
descendant of a long line of Kings. 

In the city of Cabal, is a small colony of Arme¬ 
nians, an interesting account of whom is given by 
Mr. Allen (our chaplain) in his narrative. 

23rd. Was one of a party to visit the tomb of 
the Emperor Baber. Our road at first was narrow, 
finely shaded by poplars and willows, which appear 
the prevalent trees in this part of the world. The 
hedge-rows were beautiful, and on either side spread 
green meadows of exuberant grass and clover, 
through which a hundred little brooks and rills 
gurgled in pleasing music. Pursuing our ride we 
crossed the river Cabul by an ancient and picturesque 
stone bridge, and a little further on appeared the 
ruins of an old Caravanserai, in which were several 
gates; passing through these, we entered the terraced 
and finely wooded grounds leading to the tomb of 














264 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the wise and mighty Emperor Baber. The tomb is 
situated on a slight eminence, and is over-shadowed 
by a cluster of noble trees, comprising several lovely 
sycamores; overhanging it towers a lofty hill, and 
gushing out from the rock on which the Musjid is 
built, races a beautifully clear and limpid stream, 
which empties itself into a small tank, at the foot 
of an immense hollow sycamore,—and then, pursuing 
its course, rolling like pellucid crystal over the nu¬ 
merous terraces, murmurs softly on, and, escaping 
from the gardens, loses itself in the river Cabul in 
the vale beneath. 

The Musjid is of white marble,—an elegant, chaste, 
and beautifully-sculptured monument; the roof is 
supported by three handsome arches; opposite the 
centre one as you enter, is the niche for prayer, and 
above it, carved in Eastern characters, are a few 
short sentences, recounting the virtues of him whose 
dust now mingles with the kindred dust around. 
In front of this Musjid is a small square, enclosed 
by a simple, light, and elegant screen of open 
flower-work, most delicately and elaborately carved 
in white marble. Inside are two unpretending 
tombs, the one of the mighty Sultan, the other of 
his daughter. 

The view of the Cabul valley from this Musjid is 
magnificent: the fine river winding through the pic¬ 
turesque plain below, ornamented and studded 
with its thousand gardens and orchards,—the bloom¬ 
ing hedge-rows and the park-like scenery in the 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


265 


grounds around the mosque, all reminded us of our 
father-land. When least expected, such a scene 
touches a chord that recals a world of happy as¬ 
sociations ; and, lost in the contemplation of the 
beauties by which we were on this bright spot sur¬ 
rounded, we felt as if we could linger about it for 
ever. 

But these feelings were evanescent: in the plain 
below was the tented field of an avenging army, 
reminding us acutely that within view of this 
seeming earthly paradise, we had sunk under a 
load of adversity, involving the treacherous mas¬ 
sacre of thousands of our gallant countrymen, whose 
blanched and withering bones, scattered yet unburied 
in the mountain passes of Afghanistan, appealed 
in mournful testimony to the extent of our dis¬ 
asters. 

On the 24th, accompanied by Mr. Thomas, 40th, 
I went to visit our young friend Talbot, of H. M. 
18th (Prince Albert’s light infantry), who had ac¬ 
companied the 40th from Kurachee to Quettah. 
The road passed the spot near Shere Sungh, where 
Shah Soojah was murdered: it is marked by a small 
heap of stones. This day too I had the honour of 
calling on Lady Sale. On leaving her tent I w T as 
met by most of the other female captives, and the 
poor children who were to assemble in her Lady¬ 
ship’s tent to be present at the baptism of some of 
the infants that had been born during the captivity; 
it was an interesting but painful sight, calling forth 







266 FOUR years' service in the east 

sympathy for their sufferings, and admiration for the 
truly feminine fortitude which they had exhibited. 

Here were the widowed mother and orphan-child, 
those “ for whom the prayers of thousands had gone 
up where now is the recollection of their suffer¬ 
ings, their perils, and their privations ? Where now 
the sympathy for their sorrows and irreparable 
losses ? Are they forgotten in the hour of triumph,— 
or is it sufficient that the remembrance of them and 
the resignation with which they were endured 
should be concentrated and reflected in the exclusive 
homage which has been paid to the renowned lady 
of the illustrious hero of Jellalabad ?— 

Tiffed (lunched) with the 13th to-day, and enjoyed 
some excellent wine of the country, a cask of which 
had been presented to their mess by an Affghan chief. 
It was light, and really of very curious quality, not 
unlike Rhenish wines, but of an inferior description. 
Learned while in the head-quarter camp that a 
force under General MacCaskill was to march the 
next day on Istaliff, and that the Candahar division 
was to furnish a brigade. Not being certain which 
brigade had been chosen, we galloped home. On 
our way we saw clouds of smoke issuing from a 
division of the city which by order of Futteh Jhung 
had been set fire to. 

On arrival in camp, found that the 2nd brigade 
was to proceed to Istaliff; the 1st, to which we 
belonged, being ordered to move from their pre- 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 267 

sent ground, and encamp near Shere Sungh, about 
two miles from the head-quarter camp. 

During the night of the 26th, we had a good 
deal of rain, and the snow beginning to appear on 
the distant hills, made us seriously think of leaving 
the country. 

27th. Moved our camp, and pitched on a marshy 
plain to the eastward of Cabul; had to send up¬ 
wards of a mile for water, that procurable near 
camp being exceedingly brackish. Our 2nd brigade 
marched to-day. Captain Bygrave, the last of the 
prisoners, was sent into camp by Akbar Khan to¬ 
day : our joy on this matter was, consequently, com¬ 
pleted. 

30tli. News arrived of General MacCaskill hav¬ 
ing gained a victory at Istaliff. Poor Evans of the 
41st was among the killed. 

7th October. General MacCaskill’s force re¬ 
turned, and our 2nd brigade marched into our 
camp. 

The halt which the combined armies of Pollock 
and Nott had made at Cabul, was not only much 
longer than we had anticipated on our arrival at 
the capital, but was entirely against the wish and 
advice of General Nott. This long delay was, how¬ 
ever, rendered necessary by the march of General 
MacCaskill’s division to Istaliff; an expedition, the 
judiciousness and expediency of which the gallant 
Commander of the Candahar division did not 
admit. 












268 FOUR years’ service in the east 

Winter was now coming on apace; the snow 
already appeared on the summits of the distant 
mountains; and when it was considered that latterly 
it was perhaps more owing to the inclemency of 
the weather than to the formidable opposition of 
the Affghans in the field that the number of our 
unfortunate troops had been reduced, there was a 
prevalent feeling of anxiety that the day for our 
departure should be named. 

Before leaving, however, it was requisite that 
64 a lasting proof of the British power should be 
“ left in Cabul,—consistent with British humanity 
and on the 9th October, commenced the demolition, 
by order of General Pollock, of one of the Bazaars at 
Cabul. To this work of destruction General Nott 
was decidedly averse, and he most strenuously urged 
the propriety of razing the Balia Hissar. 

The springing of the first mine, was the signal 
for all the camp followers to rush into the town, 
and commence a work of the most disgraceful 
plunder; a result which might have been expected, 
and which, indeed, was predicted. Guards, it is 
true, were placed at the different gates, to prevent 
any one entering while the work of destruction 
was going on; but there were many points of in¬ 
gress besides the gates, and all attempts to keep 
out the followers were futile. It is not to be de¬ 
nied that several of the soldiers contributed to the 
irregularities, but the misconduct of a few men does 
not criminate the actions of an army. 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


269 


Exasperated as our troops were, it is matter of 
surprise that they practised forbearance to the ex¬ 
tent they did, and it must ever be a subject of 
astonishment, that when an opening for revenge was 
given, the city of Cabul should have been spared. 

During our stay here, some soldiers of H. M. 
31st, in walking about near camp, saw the marks of 
gun-wheels, the track of which suddenly disappeared ; 
this induced them to make search near the spot 
where the impression discontinued, and after dig¬ 
ging a little below the surface, they came upon one 
or two nine-pounders, with carriage, &c., complete. 

While the destruction of the Bazaar was progress¬ 
ing, all the guns found in Cabul, with the exception 
of four , were burst; those four bearing the mark 
of the Honourable Company, had been presented 
to the late Shah Soojah by the Indian Government; 
they were now consigned to the King, whose au¬ 
thority we had in a manner acknowledged. 

On the 12th October, we marched from Cabul. 
The defences of the Balia Hissar remained unin¬ 
jured, as a proof of our clemency,—a ruined bazaar 
and rifled shops, constituted a worthy memorial of 
inconsistency; and, as a fitting climax to the long 
list of infatuations which had marked our career in 
Affghanistan, four British guns were left, as if the 
more surely and palpably to perpetuate the remem¬ 
brance of our disgrace! 










270 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 


CHAPTER XIX. 

March from Cabul.— Khourd Cabul Pass.—Tezeen.— Relief of 
Rear-Guard.—Major Saunders.—Seh-Baba.— Kuttey Sungh. 
Award of Medal and Batta. — Jugdulluk. — Soorkaub. — 
Gundamuck. — Neemlah. — Futtey - Abad. — Sultanpoor. — 
Death of Captain Ravenscroft.—Jellalabad.— Ali-Baghan.— 
Battee Kote Bussole.—Dukka.—Khyber Pass.—Rear-Guard 
Duty in Khyber Pass.—Loss of Guns with General MacCaskill’s 
Division.—Loss of Camels in Khyber Pass.—Ali-Musjid.— 
March from Ali-Musjid and Destruction of that Fort.—Lieu¬ 
tenants Terry and Chamberlain wounded.—Candahar Army 
encamps in plains of Peshawur. — Achievements of “ Army 
of Afghanistan.”—Attacks on the Army by the Press. 

General Sale having moved on in advance with 
his division to occupy the heights of the Khourd 
Cabul, the remainder of the army marched from 
Cabul on the 12th of October, and encamped at 
Bootkak, the entrance to the Pass. 

Consequent on its having been decided that the 
Head-quarters Division of General Pollock’s army 
and the Candahar Division should march the same 
day, the latter did not leave its camp until about 
twelve o’clock, in order that the former might have 
moved off previous to our passing through the ground 
it had occupied while here, and which was on our 
road to Bootkak. On coming up to it, however, 
we found that not only was their rear-guard still 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


271 


there, but that several tents were yet unstruck: 
we were consequently halted for some hours; the 
baggage of our division got mixed with that of 
the division in front, and our line of march being 
intersected at one place by a broad marsh, —- 
to pass across which it was necessary to move 
along a narrow causeway, leading to a still nar¬ 
rower bridge over a small stream in the centre,— 
the greatest confusion prevailed. In the crush 
numbers of camels fell, and many were pressed into 
the swamp; several stuck in the mud and were 
never extricated ; their loads being in many instances 
necessarily abandoned, and otherwise much injury 
sustained. The gates were in charge of a native 
regiment; concerning them there was a prediction 
by a Moolah, that they would never get beyond 
Bootkak; this was very nearly being verified, as they 
all but fell over the bridge into the stream below, 
which was exceedingly deep and rapid. The bag¬ 
gage was all very late coming up, and among the 
last was our mess kit, so that we were obliged to 
trust to the contents of our haversacks for dinner. 

On either side of the road on to-day’s march, 
numerous skeletons were strewed. 

13th. Halted at Bootkak to admit of General 
Pollock’s division, which marched this morning’, 
clearing the pass before ours; Lord Ellenborough 
having ordered that General Nott with the Candahar 
Division should have the post of honour in the 
rear, on withdrawing from the enemy’s country. 











272 FOUR years' service in the east 

In the neighbourhood of our encampment were 
numbers of skeletons, additional indications of this 
having been the halting-place of our doomed and 
unfortunate army. Ragged portions of clothing, old 
gloves, &c., were lying about, and even the tattered 
portions of rowtees* our troops had been permitted 
to carry with them. The weather was now exceed¬ 
ingly cold. 

14th. Entered the Khourd Cabul Pass; the road 
very narrow, but better for marching than the Bolan, 
being less stony; as in the latter, however, there is 
a stream, which in its serpentine course, crosses 
and re-crosses the road, and which we had to ford 
upwards of twenty times. On either side of the 
road, steep, nay, almost perpendicular hills tower 
to an immense height; in many places the path is 
overhung by rocks and cliffs, which it would be per¬ 
fectly impossible to crown from the interior of the 
pass; and if well defended, it would require an 
army not only strong in courage, but in numbers 
also to carry it. Even now the cold was intense, 
the water forming in icicles on the wheels of the 
guns as they passed through the stream; judge then, 
what must have been the sufferings of our famished, 
disheartened, and devoted troops, who traversed 
it in the month of January, when the ground was 
covered with snow, and they were exposed to the 
heavy and too unerring fire of the Affghans. The 
pass was literally strewed with the horrid remains 


* A small tent. 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


273 


of men,—skeletons they could not be called, for in 
many the features were so hideously perfect, that 
little difficulty was experienced in recognising in 
this sad and changed state, those who had been 
known in life. Mingling with the corpses of our 
comrades, were those of camels, horses, &c. In 
some places, the slain lay in heaps, probably 
marking the place where they had made a gal¬ 
lant, but ineffectual stand; in others, they were 
to be seen crowded in the caves and crevices 
whither they had fled from one sure death to meet 
another, even more dreadful and lingering. Nor 
were the evidences of death confined to those whose 
loss we were here to avenge. Several corpses of 
the straggling followers of the divisions in front, 
who had been cut up and plundered, were lying 
about. All around was horror, the very birds of 
prey seemed scared by such a sickening, such a 
revolting spectacle.— 

“ For, oh ! to see the unburied heaps 
On which the lovely moonlight sleeps— 

The very vultures turn away, 

And sicken at so foul a prey ! ” 

The painful feelings connected with our march 
through this appalling scene of death were augmented 
by its being impossible to avoid driving the guns 
over the remains of our slaughtered comrades: the 
wheels crushed the bones of those unburied masses, 
and the harsh, agonizing sound struck mourn¬ 
fully and direfully on the heart. There was no sun 

T 















274 FOUR years' service in the east 

to impart a ray of cheerfulness to the bold and 
beautiful mountain scenery around—nothing to dis¬ 
pel the gloom and horror of our associations, and 
lead the mind to happier subjects for contempla¬ 
tion than the sad, affecting, and humiliating scene 
through which, in this “ Valley of the Shadow of 
Death,” we had passed, and from which at length, 
in sorrow and in heaviness, we emerged. 

On arrival at Khourd Cabul, General Pollock's 
rear-guard was just moving off; we encamped near 
the ground he had occupied, in the midst of a wide 
plain surrounded by hills. 

15th. To Tezein, fourteen miles. The first few 
miles of our march were very easy, through the dry 
bed of a river. At the end of this, we came to a high 
rock, at the foot of which a river flowed. The road 
here turned sharply to the left, and wound down 
an abrupt declivity, so steep, that we were detained 
some time in getting the guns to the bottom. We 
now entered what is called the Huft Kotul (or 
Eight Hills),—for some miles a series of formida¬ 
ble undulations through a country of great strength, 
from its innumerable ravines. At the termination of 
these we entered a narrow gorge (the Tezeen Pass), 
about two miles in length, and not more than 
twenty yards broad in any part, and in several not 
exceeding ten, with high perpendicular rocks on 
either side. The road presented the same horrors 
as yesterday—skeletons uncountable were lying 
scattered about, the bones crumbling and being 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


275 


crunched as we were obliged to walk over them; 
numbers, also, of the followers of General Pollock’s 
division, and some of his Sepoys (one Naique and 
five),—added to which, camels and horses, dying and 
dead, lay in putrifying masses about. From the 
bodies of the Sepoys being left behind, we con¬ 
cluded that the rear-guard of the force in front must 
have been exceedingly hard pressed. 

Our main column met with no annoyance; but 
the distant booming of guns, and the sharp rattle 
of musketry in front and rear, told us that our own 
rear-guard and that of the division preceding were 
engaged. 

Our encampment was in tolerably open ground 
for this part of the world, and a clear rapid stream 
ran near it. Owing to the difficulties of the coun¬ 
try, and the opposition experienced by our rear¬ 
guard, the baggage came in but slowly. At about 
six p.m. an officer from the rear-guard rode in to 
report, that towards dark the enemy had increased 
in numbers—that the rear-guard was hard-pressed, 
—their ammunition nearly expended, and fresh 
supplies of that and reinforcements instantly re¬ 
quired. 

A wing of the 40th and two companies of H. M. 
41st, under Major Hibbert, were immediately sent 
off. On entering the Pass, we found it choked 
with camels, whose drivers becoming alarmed by 
a report that the enemy were in their front, would 

not proceed: gaining confidence, however, by our 

T 2 


276 FOUR years’ service in the east 

appearance, they moved on towards camp. On 
approaching within a short distance of where we 
had first entered the gorge in the morning, we 
found drawn up the rear-guard—consisting of part 
of the 42nd Bengal N. I., some companies from 
other native regiments, and two guns, the whole 
under Captain Leeson, — the guns occasionally 
firing on a high hill in the centre of and com¬ 
manding the Pass, of which hill the enemy had 
taken possession. The grenadier company of the 
40th, under Wakefield, w T as ordered to seize this 
position, and rushing at it with a cheer, soon 
drove the enemy from it. Lieutenant Todd, with 
No. 2 company, relieved a company of Sepoys from 
the heights on the left; while I, with my own 
company, occupied those on the right, which had 
been held by a company of the 42nd Bengal N.I., 
who then withdrew. Major Hibbert, with No. 3 
company of H. M. 40tli, and two companies of 
H. M. 41st, then advanced to the head of the 
gorge, driving a party of the enemy before them, 
and returned bringing with them the bodies of 
some of our artillerymen and Sepoys, who had 
fallen, and which from being so hotly engaged the 
rear-guard had been obliged to abandon. 

The piquet, rear-guard, and other duties were 
most severe, two of our regiments, the 2nd and 
16th, having been borrowed by General Pollock 
until arrival at Jellalabad. The Sepoys in rear 
to-day had been out and engaged in desultory 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 277 

and fatiguing skirmishing since four in the morn¬ 
ing : it was nearly ten p. m. before we relieved 
them, and in the meanwhile they had been totally 
without food and almost without water. It is 
not surprising, therefore, that we found them 
completely exhausted in body—though not in spi¬ 
rit, for when I intimated to the officer I relieved 
on the heights that he was to proceed to camp 
with the remainder of the rear-guard of the morn¬ 
ing, the duties of which were to be continued by 
the reinforcements of which my company formed 
a part, the Sepoys expressed a wish that they 
should be permitted to remain to share in these 
duties, and the fatigues and perils by which they 
might be attended. 

All the baggage and the old rear-guard having 
cleared the Pass, our companies were withdrawn, 
and we also retraced our steps. I was ordered 
to move in advance with two companies; following 
me were the two guns, and bringing up the rear 
were the remaining companies of the 40tli and 
the two of the 41st. During our passage through 
the narrow defile, a continued fire from matchlocks 
was kept up on us; occasionally the bullets whistled 
unpleasantly near, but, thanks to the intense dark¬ 
ness of the night, the Affghans could not take good 
aim. They were completely out of our sight, and 
it would have been useless attempting to fire at 
them. One young soldier, notwithstanding the cau¬ 
tion to reserve his fire, thinking he saw something 











278 FOUR YEARS" SERVICE IN THE EAST 

moving along the top of one of the riclges, could 
not withstand the temptation to try and dislodge 
it: the flash from his musket giving the enemy 
a correct idea of where we were, brought down 
upon us a volley, but, strange to relate, only one 
man was hit. After running the gauntlet between 
the high rocks for about a mile and a half, we 
cleared the Pass with only one man wounded , al¬ 
though several hundred rounds had been discharged 
at us: so much for the Affghans as marksmen! 

In our rear-guard duty at Tezeen we were ac¬ 
companied by our chief engineer, Major Saunders, 
ever among the foremost when anything w 7 as to be 
done. He fell on the hard-fought field of Maha- 
rajpoor, in December, 1843; and in the dispatch 
announcing that victory, the following short, but 
eloquent tribute to his noble qualities as a soldier 
was paid by Sir Hugh Gough:—“ In the returned 
“ of killed I have greatly to deplore the loss of 
“ Lieutenant-Colonel E. Saunders, C. B., of the 
“ Engineers—than whom this army, with its nu- 
“ merous list of devoted soldiers, could not boast 
“ a more enthusiastic officer.” 

Our loss in camp-followers to-day must have 
been immense,—judging from the numbers of these 
poor creatures we saw lying about, even in the 
short distance we traversed while proceeding to re¬ 
inforce the rear-guard. 

16th. Sell-Baba, seven miles : the country here 
open, the road through the bed of a mountain- 






WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


279 


torrent. The enemy mustered in numbers on the 
hills: a party came down and made an attempt 
on the baggage, — it was unattended with suc¬ 
cess. During the day there was a great deal of 
firing; and towards evening our piquets on the 
right and rear were attacked, but the enemy were 
driven back with loss. 

17th. Kuttey Sungh: a short march of six miles 
through an undulating country, similar to the Huft 
Kotul. Our camels were thoroughly knocked up ; 
at the last ground there was a poisonous herb, of 
which many partook and died. Their feet sored from 
the shingle, our gun-bullocks were hardly able to 
move, much less to draw the eighteen-pounders. 
The rear-guard had to assist them—indeed, it had to 
perform the whole work of dragging the guns along 
nearly the entire line occupied in marching; and 
we all hoped that our General would follow the 
example of General Pollock, who, while at Tezeen, 
had burst two of our eighteen-pounders that he had 
borrowed , the bullocks having become quite ex¬ 
hausted. These animals, it was said, he handed 
over to the Commissariat, and they were after¬ 
wards killed and issued to the troops. If true, 
this was unkind: considering that we had brought 
them from Candahar, we ought certainly to have 
derived the benefit from them. However, 44 it is 
44 not lost what a friend gets. 55 

Had a little very pretty skirmishing to-day. Our 
encampment was irregular, and in a rugged broken 


280 FOUR years’ service in the east 

country, intersected with ravines, rivulets, &c., 
which made it no easy matter to fix on a proper 
position for piquets and videttes. 

Received the welcome and gratifying intelligence 
to-day, that a medal and six months’ batta had 
been awarded to the troops for their exploits. 

A medal with the mural crown points out the 
defenders of Jellalabad;—a similar badge “The 
Unconquered” of Kelat-i-Gilzie. “ Victoria Vin- 
dex” tells of the glories of the avenging armies of 
Pollock and Nott; but there is nought to mark 
the long line of successes of the Candahar force 
during the winters of ’41 and ’42. Those regi¬ 
ments which arrived at that city, under General 
England, in May, and were fortunate enough to bear 
a part in the engagement in its vicinity on the 29tli 
of that month, have received the same medal, and 
carry the same achievements on their colours, as 
those which maintained their position there through¬ 
out the winter. 

No one grudges these laurels to our gallant com¬ 
panions. “ They won them well, and may they wear 
them long !” yet, in the distribution of honours, 
though it was not for us to set a value on our own 
actions, nor dictate what reward should be meted 
out for our services, we did fondly hope that some 
specific distinction would have been granted, to 
mark the successes that attended the operations of 
the Candahar force previous to the arrival there of 
the regiments under General England. 





















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


281 


18th. Jugdulluk, five or six miles; there are two 
roads—one through a short pass, by which the guns 
and cavalry and some of the infantry went,—the 
other hilly and undulating like that on the last two 
or three days’ marches; by this latter the main body 
of the infantry, and all the heavy baggage passed. 
The hills were occupied by a few of the Affghans, 
but we received little or no annoyance; though in 
the distance among the hills we could distinctly see 
the rear-guard of the centre division engaged with 
strong bodies of the enemy. 

Our encampment was near a ruined fort; the 
memorable spot where the last stand was made by 
the Europeans on their retreat. This was marked 
by a heap of their dead bodies, close to which was 
the skeleton of a horse, and that of his rider by his 
side,—probably an officer. It was here that General 
Elphinstone was made prisoner. 

Although we left our last camp very early, and 
had such a short distance to march, it was late in 
the evening before the heavy guns came up ; the 
bullocks were quite unable to drag them, and they 
were brought into camp entirely by manual labour. 
The camp was surrounded by steep hills, which 
were occupied by the enemy ; on our arrival on the 
ground, they retired before our piquets, and for once 
we were allowed to pass the night in tolerable 
quiet. 

19th. Soorkaub, sixteen miles. The commence¬ 
ment of our march was through a narrow defile, 







282 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

the heights on either side, though not very high, 
being much intersected with hollows and ravines, and 
covered with low brush-wood. General MacCas- 
kill’s rear-guard had met with considerable opposi¬ 
tion here yesterday. Our main column was allowed 
to pass through unmolested, but the baggage was 
afterwards attacked, and the rear-guard much 
harassed; there were several officers wounded, 
among whom was Lieutenant Macgowan, 40th, and 
a number of men killed and wounded. Previous to 
leaving Jugdulluk, the rear-guard burst the remain¬ 
ing eighteen-pounders, the bullocks being now so 
completely exhausted from fatigue and lameness as 
to be unable to work. In the defile through which 
we passed in the early part of this march were the 
remains of a breast-work, which had been thrown 
up the more effectually to impede the progress of 
the Cabul army. 

20th. To Gundamuck, seven miles: the 40th, 
commanded by Major Stopford, formed the rear¬ 
guard to-day. The country now became more open; 
the enemy came down in numbers on our baggage, 
but having now got more room for action we were 
enabled to make rather a severe example of some 
of them. 

Crossed rather a picturesque stone bridge on 
leaving our old encampment; under some rocks near 
this, part of our rear-guard were concealed, — the 
enemy suspecting nothing, followed and were close 
upon us before they found out their mistake. An 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


283 


opportunity was afforded us, of which we did not fail 
to take advantage, to pour in two or three well- 
directed volleys before they had time to recover 
from their surprise and retire. General MacCaskill 
we found halted here. 

21st. Rejoiced both on our own account, and 
that of our cattle, to get a halt to-day. We had 
rather more firing into camp at night than we had 
of late been accustomed to. 

22nd. Neemlah, five miles; encamped near a 
celebrated and very beautiful garden. The rear¬ 
guard had a little work to-day, but the country had 
become too open for the Affghans to venture very 
near, especially after the lesson they got the day 
before yesterday. Forded one of the small branches 
of the Cabul river to-day,-—there were the remains 
of a stone bridge over it, now perfectly useless. 

23rd. Futtey-a-bad. An exceedingly bad road, 
and very stony, until close to the encamping ground, 
which was in a pleasing little valley, abundantly fer¬ 
tile, the hills surrounding it being nicely wooded. 
The distant hills of the Soliman range and Hindoo 
Koosli with their snow-capped summits looked 
picturesquely grand from this encampment. Our 
rear-guard was very slightly annoyed to-day. 

24th. Sultanpoor, nine miles, road good over 
a sandy plain; the enemy still continuing to fol¬ 
low us, several of them were cut up to-day, without 
doing much injury to us. Poor Ravenscroft, 3rd 
cavalry, died this morning of the wounds he had re- 



284 FOUR years’ service in the east 

ceived in the cavalry affair on the 28th of August 
last. At night all his old friends attended to pay 
the last tribute of respect to his memory. To guard 
against the remains of our comrades being disin¬ 
terred, it was necessary to bury them with the 
greatest secrecy, the ground being afterwards care¬ 
fully levelled, and generally a fire lighted on it, to 
mark, as it were, the spot where some of the soldiers 
had been cooking. Ravenscroft’s grave was dug in¬ 
side the mess-tent of his regiment. Here we all 
assembled; a few wax candles glimmered faintly 
round the grave, and at ten p.m. the solemn ser¬ 
vice of our church was read over his body, which 
was lowered by some of his troopers ; the grave was 
then filled up and made even with the rest of the 
ground. In the morning the tent was struck, and a 
fire was kindled on another of those graves of the 
brave o’er which “ not a soldier discharged his fare- 
“ well shot.” 

25tli. Jellalabad, ten miles. The scene of the 
triumphs of the “ Illustrious Garrison,”—a strong fort, 
but of course most of the defences new. Encamped 
on the Peshawur road. Some distance, in front of 
camp, runs the Cabul river, which is a broad and 
considerable stream here. It is not unusual to de¬ 
scend to Peshawur on rafts down this river, and 
some of our Sikh allies left by this route while we 
were here; its navigation, however, on account of 
the numerous rapids and whirlpools is exceedingly 
dangerous. The whole army was assembled here 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


285 


previous to making our last start for home. During 
our stay we had several slight shocks of earth¬ 
quake. 

The scenery about Jellallabad is fine, particularly 
on the opposite side of the river, and there I should 
say the country was very rich and well cultivated. 
We had several camels carried off here from the 
camel-men persisting, in defiance of orders, in cross¬ 
ing the river. 

26th. Halted. The rain came down in torrents 
and prevented our marching; on the 27th and 28th 
we were detained from the same cause. While we 
were encamped here, the defences of Jellalabad 
were entirely destroyed. It is difficult to understand 
upon what ground this fort should have been demo¬ 
lished, while the defences of the Balia Hissar of 
Cabul were left uninjured. 

29th. The sun at length broke out, and our tents 
being sufficiently dry we marched, about one p.m.j 
five miles to Ali Baghan, over a sandy and level 
road: one of the regiments (2nd), and Blood’s guns, 
(nine-pounders), which had been detached with 
General Mac Caskill’s division since we left Cabul, 
now rejoined us. In front of our encampment were 
numerous ravines, and a lofty hill beyond them was 
occupied by the enemy; the afternoon’s amusement 
was to dislodge our opponents, which we succeeded 
in doing. The ambuscade system was practised with 
success to-day. A party of our cavalry concealed 
themselves in a ruined fort; the enemy came down 


286 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

into the plain, when the troopers under Lieutenant 
Graves of the 3rd Bombay Cavalry, and Lieutenant 
Chamberlain, Irregular Cavalry, rushed out from 
their ambush, and falling on the Affghans, cut up 
many of them. 

30. Battee Kote, eleven miles; road good, high 
hills on our left. Experienced very little an¬ 
noyance. 

31st. To Bussole, twelve miles—an excellent road. 
Encamped near the river; on the other bank im¬ 
mediately opposite our camp, rose an extensive, lofty 
and almost perpendicular rock, full of innumerable 
caves, all of which are inhabited: the dwellers in 
them are for the most part robbers, and must be bad 
indeed, as they are viewed in that light by their 
neighbours, whose own morality with respect to the 
principle of “ meum et tuum ,” is sufficiently lax 
and questionable. A few camels were carried off 
to-day. 

1st November. To Dukka, nine miles. The road 
at first similar to what we had had since leaving 
Jellalabad; after marching four or five miles it 
became so very narrow,—bounded on one side by 
high hills, and on the other by an extensive marsh, 
that only one camel could pass along at a time. At 
about ten miles from Bussole we entered a narrow 
gorge, upwards of a mile in length, called the Chota 
Khyber, or Small Khyber; this was almost choked 
up with large detached portions of rock, and the 
dead camels of the division preceding us,—the 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


287 


stench from which was quite overpowering. Near 
the entrance of the gorge and in its centre was a 
high-pointed hill, on the top of which, perched like 
an eyrie, was a small watch-tower commanding a 
view of the whole pass. Leaving the gorge we 
entered a beautifully fertile valley, enclosed on 
three sides by the magnificent hills of the Sufaed- 
Coh, and washed in front by the broad stream 
of the Cabul river, on the opposite banks of which 
were numerous mud forts picturesquely situated. 
About two miles higher up the valley was General 
MacCaskill’s division, enjoying a halt to-day, con¬ 
sequent on General Pollock having determined 
on dividing his force, and marching through the 
Khyber in advance with General Sale, who led 
the withdrawal of our troops from Affghanistan. 
On our right frowned upon us the steep and rugged 
hills, whose many windings and ravines form the 
celebrated Khyber Pass. Our rear-guard did not 
get into camp until seven p.m., although we 
marched at four in the morning. 

2nd November. Halted to admit of General 
MacCaskilFs division preceding us. The 16th Ben¬ 
gal regiment rejoined our camp to-day. 

3rd. To Lundie Khanna, nine miles. Entered 
the Khyber Pass,* the road through the dry bed of 

* “ The Khyberees consist of three independent tribes, exclusive 
of the Upper Momunds. These are the Afreedees, Shainwaurees, 
and Oorookeyes. Altogether they are about 120,000 souls. The 
Shainwaurees are the least numerous, but they are the best people 




288 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 


a mountain torrent, and very narrow—the hills on 
either side high and exceedingly picturesque; they 
were occupied by Jezailchees (riflemen of the coun¬ 
try in our pay) who by their presence saved our men 
much fatigue. Our encampment was in a narrow 
defile; on reaching it we found General MacCas- 
kill’s rear-guard still on the ground, and likely to 
remain there, from the delay in getting the bag¬ 
gage through the different narrow dells and camel- 
roads. Our rear-guard did not reach camp until 
seven in the evening. 

4. Ali Musjid. The 40th was on rear-guard to-day; 
the main column moved at four in the morning. 
The commencement of the march was up a road cut 
in the side of the hill, to the top of which it wound 
in a gradual ascent for upwards of a mile ; on the 

of the three, and most subject to the King’s authority. The 
others are secured from subjugation by the strength of their coun¬ 
try ; but the importance of the Khyber Pass (the great communi¬ 
cation between Peshawur and Caubul) renders it necessary for 
the King to have some control over their proceedings. They ac¬ 
cordingly receive great pensions on condition of answering for the 
quiet of the road; but such are their habits of rapine, that they 
can never be entirely restrained from plundering passengers; and 
when there is any confusion in the State, it is impossible to pass 
through their country. The Khyber Pass is about twenty-five 
miles long, over steep ridges and through very narrow defiles. 
The road is often along the beds of torrents, and is extremely 
dangerous in the event of sudden falls of rain in the hills. In 
quiet times the Khyberees have stations in different parts of the 
Pass to collect an authorized toll on passengers, but in times of 
trouble, they are all on the alert; if a single traveller endeavours 


































WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


289 


left were lofty rocks overhanging it, — and on the 
right, abrupt and frequently perpendicular descents. 
The guns and “ gates” were soon got up, then fol¬ 
lowed the cavalry and infantry; the tedious opera¬ 
tion of getting the baggage on now commenced : 
—only one camel could get up at a time ; and when 
any of these poor animals fell, which was often the 
case, the whole line in rear was detained, (it being 
impossible to pass on either side of such an ob¬ 
stacle,) until the animal had been raised, or, what 
was frequently the alternative, rolled over the pre¬ 
cipice to the rocks below. The ascent of our bag¬ 
gage commenced at a quarter past four a.m. ; the 
last camel did not reach the top of the ascent 
until eight p.m. About six p.m. I was ordered to 
relieve Captain Thomas, commanding the Jezail- 
chees on the heights, close to the top of the ascent, 

to make his way through, the noise of his horse’s feet sounds up 
the long narrow valleys, and soon brings the Khyberees in troops 
from the hills and ravines; but, if they expect a caravan, they 
assemble in hundreds on the side of a hill, and sit patiently, 
with their matchlocks in their hands, watching its approach. 

# # * * # # 

“They are excellent marksmen, and are reckoned good hill- 
soldiers, though of no great account in the plain. They are often 
employed in this sort of warfare, as far from their country as 
Kote Kaungra, in the eastern extremity of the Punjaub. They 
are, however, more disposed to plunder than to war, and will fall 
on the baggage of the army they belong to if they find it un¬ 
guarded. It was thus they behaved to Shah Shujah in the heat 
of the battle of Eshpaun, and by these means lost him the day.” 
—Elphinstones A fghanistan , vol. ii. pp. 43, 44. 

U 









290 FOUR years’ service in the east 

in order that he might move on with his men to a 
ravine near Ali Musjid. 

About half an hour after this, there being much 
firing a-head, Lieutenant Todd, 40th, was sent on 
with his company, and came to a deep ravine, 
where the enemy, having made a dash on our bag¬ 
gage, had succeeded in carrying off to their fast¬ 
nesses several of our camels. A little after eight 
o’clock the piquets of the rear-guard were with¬ 
drawn, and it commenced its ascent. A host of 
Khyberees came rushing down the hill, and annoyed 
our rear excessively. At the top of the ascent, 
lying in a ravine, was the Xvhazee, a large brass gun 
similar to that we had destroyed at Ghuznee; it 
had been taken from Jellalabad, but abandoned by 
General MacCaskill’s Brigade, from want of means 
to carry it on. 

It was, I believe, expected that we should bring 
this ordnance with us ; but, having no means of trans¬ 
port, that was impossible. However, we made ar¬ 
rangements for bursting it, and, when completed, 
the main body of the rear-guard moved on, and 
our grenadier company under Wakefield remained 
to protect the artillery-man who was to fire the 
match; which being done, the grenadiers and their 
charge ran in. The gun burst with a tremendous 
explosion, that echoed sharply through the moun¬ 
tains, just as the enemy must have gained the 
height near where it was; this had at least the 
effect of astonishing and frightening them so much 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 201 

as to keep them from annoying us until we got 
through a difficult, undulating, and confined part of 
the Pass, into which we entered after leaving the 
gun. 

It was now quite dark, and impossible for us to 
see the beauties of this bold and rocky scenery. 
Our route lay through a succession of narrow dells: 
on either side were high, craggy rocks; and, when 
we occasionally emerged from them for a short 
time, our line of march was flanked by innume¬ 
rable ravines, extending and conducting into the 
distant mountains which towered above and around 
us. The signal-shouts and shrill holloas from dif¬ 
ferent bodies of our enemies echoed among the 
hills; and the wildness of the whole scene was in¬ 
creased by the peculiar appearance of the Jezail- 
chees, who were posted in small parties at different 
turns of the road, their lighted matches glimmering 
like glow-worms in the darkness, and ever and 
anon their wild, melancholy wail, in assurance of 
their watchfulness, rising on the air. 

Still onwards we moved ; every turn spoke of a 
desperate struggle, or of the success of our vigi¬ 
lant enemies in carrying off baggage, either from 
our own division or the ranks that had preceded 
us; here and there rifled boxes were to be seen 
-—dead and dying camels — and numbers of our 
murdered followers, strewing the paths. As we 
approached Ali Musjid, we found some of our 

regiments posted at different parts of the road ; and 

u 2 







292 FOUR years’ service in the east 

at length, after being out on rear-guard duty for 
about thirty hours, we got into Ali Musjid. Here 
we learned of the reverse General MacCaskill had 
met with the day before ; two of his guns having 
been captured, and two officers and several men 
left dead on the field. The painful duty of con¬ 
signing these poor fellows to the silence of the 
grave was reserved for us, and the melancholy 
task was performed by our chaplain on the even¬ 
ing of the 4tli of November. 

The first person I met on my arrival in camp was 
my servant, who had been wounded during the 
night; and he forthwith communicated the pleas¬ 
ing intelligence that the kit I had on my back 
was about the whole extent of my wardrobe, as 
I was numbered among the unfortunates whose 
camels were carried off near one of the many ra¬ 
vines. There was nothing, one would think, very 
mirth-provoking in such a communication ; yet 
notwithstanding I had to regret the loss of my 
journal, which I had kept ever since the regi¬ 
ment left Kurachee, and a few remembrances of 
Affghanistan, in the shape of matchlocks, jassails, 
ancient Greek coins procured at Cabul, and other 
little trifles that I valued, I could not resist laugh¬ 
ing at the ridiculous plight to which I was reduced. 
Unfortunately, I was not the only sufferer, several 
of my brother officers being losers to as great an 
extent as myself. 

A subscription was set on foot for the benefit of 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


293 


the unfortunates , and in a short time a liberal sup¬ 
ply of shirts, trowsers, &c. was collected, and dis¬ 
tributed amongst us; — but, not being all alike in 
size or form, I cannot say much for the appear¬ 
ance of those who had thus been reduced to a 
dependence on the generosity of their comrades. 

Halted the rest of the day at Ali Musjid; the en¬ 
campment was in a valley, which we entered after 
passing through a very narrow gorge, between per¬ 
pendicular rocks rising to a height of two or three 
hundred feet. The fort of Ali Musjid was built on 
a conical hill in the centre of the pass, but con¬ 
siderably lower than the hills on each side of it. 
On another rock was a small watch-tower; and close 
to the river, which ran through our camp, was an 
insignificant white temple built, of Chunam. Dur¬ 
ing the night our piquets were attacked, but the 
onemy got the worst of it. 

6th. To Futtehgur. The Khyberees assembled in 
great force this morning, and gave every indication 
of their intention to make a farewell dash at our 
baggage: they had collected in a vast multitude on 
one hill, and, some of the artillery having been 
directed to open on them, I loitered behind to 
see the practice from the twenty-four-pound how¬ 
itzers ; but observing some of the piquets driven in, 
and companies ascending the heights to support, 
I had to gallop off to join my own company, in 
case it should be also employed. The Khyberees 
were in turn driven back; our guns belched forth 











294 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST 

canister, grape, and slirapnell,—every shot telling 
in the ranks of the enemy. The main column 
wound slowly up the mountain path that led out 
of the valley of Ali Musjid, and, as its rear 
crowned the crest, a concussion was felt as if 
from an earthquake; a tremendous explosion suc¬ 
ceeded, and high in the air, amid clouds of dust 
and flame, which rose in one vast lurid column, 
were hurled the defences of the fort of Ali Mus¬ 
jid,—a parting salute, as the hill on which it stood 
was lost to our view for ever. 

About two miles from the plains of Peshawur 
there is a bridge over a deep ravine, which for the 
better security of the baggage it was necessary to 
guard; and two hundred infantry and some cavalry 
were placed under my command for this duty: on 
the hills in the distance were numerous small 
bodies of Khyberees moving about, but none ven¬ 
tured near my party. Very unlike an old soldier, 
I had started without replenishing my haversack, 
and did not much relish the idea of being out 
until night without administering to the comforts 
of the inner man ; however, we were fated to fare 
better than those even who got into camp early, 
for one of my subs (Meason), seeing his servant 
crossing the bridge, secured him, and much to our 
delight, as all had been equally improvident, found 
on one of the camels a basket with some mutton 
chops, a few biscuits, a gridiron, a tea-kettle and 
some tea. A fire was soon lighted, and in a very 






WITH H. M. 40th regiment. 295 

short time an excellent breakfast was prepared 
and partaken of; after which we could look with 
more complacency from the heights, where we were 
posted, upon our camp, which we could see pitched 
some miles distant in the peaceful plains of Pe- 
shawur. 

About four P. M., Major Gore Browne, 41st, 
came up with the rear-guard, which he commanded; 
my party protected his flanks until he cleared the 
pass, when we formed in rear of his guns with the 
piquets, furnished by the 40th under Lieutenant 
Wakefield, and had the honour of being among 
the last of the rear-guard of the rear division of 
“ The Avenging Army of Afghanistan,” to leave 
that country. We were accompanied out of the 
pass by a division of the Sikh Army, about five 
thousand strong; fine-looking men, particularly well 
equipped with French muskets, and very steady in 
their movements. Like most Easterns, they were 
excessively fond of hearing the report of their fire¬ 
arms, a taste they indulged to an immoderate extent 
on this occasion. 

Terry, of the Bombay Artillery, a most superior 
officer, was mortally wounded; and Chamberlaine, 
of the Irregular Cavalry, severely. Poor Terry ! he 
had risked much in joining at Candahar,—riding 
through a great extent of territory when the coun¬ 
try was in a state of insurrection. He had been 
out with the Candahar force on every occasion on 
which it was engaged ; and the last day of the cam- 












296 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

paign, and almost by the last shot that was fired, 
he received his death wound. 

The whole British army had now withdrawn from 
Affghanistan ; our eventful connection with that 
country had totally ceased. That connection will 
assuredly constitute a curious and important page 
in history—less certain is it that that page will be 
a creditable one to the British name. But no one 
will question the glorious achievements of our 
army : the forcing of the Khyber Pass, the defence of 
Jellalabad and Kelat-i-Gilzie, the successes at Can- 
dahar, are events enshrined in glory; and the ex¬ 
traordinary advance of General Nott, unsupported, 
through the heart of an enemy’s country, has ex¬ 
cited universal wonder and admiration. Nor are 
the merits of this army to be estimated solely by 
the opposition it met with, or the comparatively 
small number of casualties that occurred in its 
ranks. There are other and worse sources of suf¬ 
fering in a campaign than those incidental to the 
battle-field ; and, in seeking to judge of the ser¬ 
vices of our army, these circumstances must com¬ 
mand a degree of consideration, and, when approba¬ 
tion is meted for what it did achieve, justice de¬ 
mands a tribute of praise for what it dared ! 

Scarcely had we cleared the passes when we 
were assailed, by accounts in the columns of part 
of the Indian press, of the horrible excesses we 
^|had committed. ‘Enormities unheard or until ought 
of were most unblusliingly laid to our door. Men 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


297 


unprincipled enough had been found to detail the 
perpetration of crimes which they well knew had 
never disgraced our army;—individuals there were 
fiendish enough to seem “ loosed out of hell to 
speak of horrors,” which had their existence only 
in their own black and malignant hearts. 

Such was the return for our services from a con¬ 
temptible section of our countrymen !—such the gra¬ 
titude of a tribe of hirelings, who, perched aloft on 
their tripod stools, dared to vilify the members and 
impugn the actions of an army, the meanest spirit 
in which soared immeasurably superior to their tra- 
ducers! Well might General Nott with difficulty 
curb his indignation when he was required to an¬ 
swer queries called forth by the propagation of false¬ 
hoods so base and dastardly. “ I am desired to state” 
writes this illustrious man, “ whether unresisting in - 
“ divi duals were destroyed in cold blood for mere ven- 
44 geancef and whether ivomen ivere either violated , or 
44 murdered for their ornaments f”—“I will endeavour 
44 to suppress my scorn and indignation while I shortly 
“ reply to this charge , or suspicion , or ivhatever it may 
44 be called by the persons from whom it emanated” 
Our armies had marched to Cabul through scenes 
well calculated to excite the most revengeful and 
bitter passions. On the one hand, the walls of the 
citadel of Ghuznee were written over with accounts 
of the indignities and ill-treatment our captive 
countrymen there experienced ; on the other side, 
General Pollock advanced through passes where 














298 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

almost every step spoke of treachery—where the 
blood of our yet tombless dead was still crying 
aloud for vengeance. Yet forbearance and human¬ 
ity undeviatingly marked our progress. The honour 
due for the practice of that difficult forbearance— 
the brightest jewel in the crown of glory which 
our soldiers had achieved—their malicious calum¬ 
niators would fain have wrested from them;— 
but it was in vain. A nobler and better spirit 
actuated the people of England ! to them the in¬ 
tegrity of our actions needed no vindication — 
proudly and dearly will they cherish the remem¬ 
brance of our services in Affghanistan. To us the 
recollection of those services is hallowed by the 
approbation of our Sovereign, and endeared by the 
admiration of a grateful country ! 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


299 


CHAPTER XX. 


Heath of Lieutenant Terry. — General Avitabile. — Peshawur. 
— Army marches en route to India. —Attock.—*■Incident to 
Lieutenant Seymour.—Rawul Pindee.—Small-pox breaks out 
in Army. — Maunicyaula. — Rhotas. —River Jheelum (Hy- 
daspes). — River Chenab (Acesines). — River Ravee (Hy- 
draotes.) — River Sutlege (Hypasis). — Candahar Division 
marches into Ferozepore. 

After leaving the Khyber Pass we encamped 
near the small Sikh fort of Jumrood. On the 7th 
we moved ground near the city of Peshawur, and 
encamped to the westward of it. That lamented 
officer of the Bombay Artillery, Terry, who had lin¬ 
gered, died here to-day, and was buried in front 
of cam]} in the evening. 

On the 12th we marched nine miles, and en¬ 
camped to the east of Peshawur. During our 
stay here we experienced the greatest hospitality 
from General Avitabile, an officer in the Sikh 
service, and Governor of Peshawur. At his table 
eighty or one hundred officers sat down daily 
while the armies halted in the vicinity. The Ge¬ 
neral is, I believe, an Italian by birth, and served 
in early life in Napoleon’s Italian legions. He is 








300 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

a tall, handsome man, of striking military appear¬ 
ance, though now rather advanced in years. 

The town of Peshawur rises from an extensive 
plain; its circumference about five or six miles. 
The houses, built of mud bricks, are usually high; 
there was little of beauty about the city, and nothing 
striking, if we except the number of gibbets in the 
environs to which criminals were hanging. The 
citadel we were not permitted to enter. 

On the 15th of November, the order of march 
having been previously arranged, our first brigade 
and head-quarters left Peshawur en route for India; 
the 2nd brigade under Colonel Stacey being di¬ 
rected to keep a day’s march in rear of us, and 
form the last brigade of the army of Afghanistan 
on its march through the Punjaub. 

Our first march was to Pubbee, a small village 
distant about nine miles and a quarter. Our road 
lay across an extensive plain, the country evidently 
rich, but neither much nor highly cultivated. Sup¬ 
plies of wood, &c. for the army had been laid in 
here. Forage for horses procurable in abundance, 
but very little grazing for the baggage-cattle. The 
commissariat found it necessary to purchase fields 
of kirby for the public camels. 

The reduced strength of the rear-guards was 
one of the many symptoms that we were now in 
a friendly country.—Encamping ground good and 
extensive. 

16tli November. To Nowshera, a small village, 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 301 

distant about eleven miles. Road for the first 
six or seven miles over an open, uncultivated 
country; after which it was flanked by extensive 
fields of kirby and other grain. Encamping ground, 
confined and indifferent, was close to the river Ca- 
bul, here a broad and rapid stream. The commu¬ 
nication with the village, on the opposite bank of 
the river, was by means of a small ferry-boat. 
Found supplies of wood, barley, bhoosa, &c., 
laid in. 

17th November. To Akora, distant ten miles. 
Road over a wide and uncultivated plain, covered 
with low brushwood. Encamping ground clear and 
extensive, near the river Cabul. Got supplies of 
grain, and lucerne in abundance from the small 
village of Akora. 

18th. — To Attock, eleven and a half miles. 
Road at commencement of march light, and coun¬ 
try open ; on approaching Attock, it became more 
confined, and was in many places intersected with 
nullahs. About four miles from the river Attock 
entered the Geedah Gullee Pass, a narrow defile 
of about two miles in length. In the centre of 
this pass the ascent is very abrupt, and we were 
detained some time in working up the guns. The 
hills on either side were prettily wooded; and the 
gleaming of the arms of the troops as they wound 
along, and the dense mass of baggage-cattle crowd¬ 
ing on the rear of the column, added a pomp and 
interest to the beauty of the scenery around. On 










302 FOUR years' service in the east 

the head of the column entering the bridge of 
boats across the river, a royal salute was fired from 
the fort of Attock. Our encamping ground, which 
was about a mile from the river, was clear and 
sufficiently ample. 

The fort of Attock is large and strong; the walls 
lofty, and built of polished stone. It commands 
the river, but is itself completely overlooked and 
commanded by a neighbouring hill. 

The Cabul River empties itself into the Indus 
a little above Attock. The former river is fordable 
during the summer; but the latter rarely, if ever so. 
Owing to the bridge of boats admitting of only one 
camel passing at a time, great delay was experienced 
in getting the baggage up ; and much extra fatigue 
was incurred by the cattle, many of which were 
laden for upwards of eighteen hours. The usual 
plan of march is to the right bank of the river, and 
to postpone crossing it till the following day; but 
the General was anxious to push on to India as 
quickly as possible. 

19th. To Shumshabad, eight miles and a half; 
road excellent, over a fine open plain, extensively 
cultivated. Encamped about two miles from the 
village of Shumshabad, in an open country, but in 
heavy ploughed fields. Supplies of flour, grain, Ac., 
laid in here, for the use of the army. Several 
small tanks and wet nullahs in the neighbourhood, 
in which were immense numbers of wild duck, 
which afforded amusement for the Nimrods. The 







WITH H. M. 40TII REGIMENT. 


303 


country, however, below the passes, as far as we 
have yet been able to judge, is almost destitute of 
game. 

20th. Futteelah, twelve miles. Road at first ex¬ 
cellent : after marching about six miles it became 
much intersected with ravines, and was crossed by 
a small clear stream; after crossing which, the 
country became more open. Encamping ground 
dry and open. 

On the line of march to-day an incident occurred 
which showed, that, although we were now in a 
friendly country, it was still necessary to guard 
against the hostility of our old enemies. My friend 
Seymour went some distance from the column with 
his greyhounds, in the hope of having some sport. 
Passing through some ravines, he came suddenly on 
a party of plunderers, who, not yet relinquishing all 
hopes of securing a few of our camels with their 
loads, were concealed, ready to take advantage of 
any favourable opportunity of carrying off a stray 
prize to their neighbouring hills. Immediately 
Seymour came upon them, their swords flew from 
their scabbards. The country behind him was too 
broken to admitof his getting off easily ; so, although 
unarmed (having given his sword to his horse- 
keeper to carry), he determined on dashing through 
his foes, in the hope of gaining the open country 
before him. Fortunately, he was riding a pony that 
had long been looked upon in the regiment as 
public property, and which had, in the course of its 







304 FOUR years’ service in the east 

multifarious duties , been highly educated in tricks: 
among others, the art of kicking and plunging to a 
furious extent on being pinched on the back. Sey¬ 
mour, recollecting this accomplishment of his steed, 
dashed at the bandits, and as he neared them 
placed his hand behind the saddle; the animal, 
lunging out behind and before, cleared a passage, 
when his rider, plunging his heels into his steed’s 
flanks, galloped off in safety, the only injury sus¬ 
tained being a slight sabre scratch on the quarter of 
his pony. 

21st November. Wah, ten miles; road generally 
bad and confined, and much intersected with nullahs, 
wdiich, from their precipitous banks impeding the 
progress of the guns, delayed us much. About five 
miles from Wah crossed a broad river—not deep, 
and with good bottom and shelving banks; after 
which the road is over a plain, covered with a 
forest of bauble jungle. At the little village of 
Punjah is a small and elegant temple; near this, 
shaded by some noble trees, an elaborately-orna¬ 
mented, but not extensive, tank, containing num¬ 
bers of small fish, which are held sacred. Encamp¬ 
ing ground close to the river, and, owing to its many 
windings, very inconvenient. 

22nd. Jaunee Ka Sung, thirteen miles: a long 
and tedious march; the country, which was covered 
with bauble jungle, being much intersected with 
ravines that caused considerable delay in the pas¬ 
sage of the guns. About half-distance, came to a 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


305 


narrow causeway, over which it was necessary to 
pass, and where only two camels could go abreast. 
Within two or three miles of Jaunee Ka Sung the 
country became more open, and free from jungle; 
but, owing to the numerous nullahs, the encamp¬ 
ing ground was confined and bad. Water very 
brackish. 

23rd. Rawul Pindee, fourteen miles. Road at 
first through high tree jungle, after which it be¬ 
came very light and open; crossed two deep ra¬ 
vines, and close to the village the river Lea, with 
high precipitous banks. Encamping ground, to the 
right of the village, clear and extensive. Rawul 
Pindee is a large town, prettily situate, and the 
houses have a singularly clean and neat appearance. 

Numbers of beautifully-worked shawls, slippers, 
&c., the produce of Cashmere, were brought into 
camp, and offered for sale by the natives. 

24th. Halted. Brigadier Stacey’s division closed 
up to-day. Small-pox had now broken out through¬ 
out the whole Affghan army; but, although many 
were attacked, and several of our men died from 
this dangerous disease, we did not suffer so severely 
as the different brigades preceding us, which sus¬ 
tained great loss both in officers and men. 

25th. To Hoormuck, eight miles; road at com¬ 
mencement very bad, being crossed by three or 
four deep ravines. The country in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Rawul Pindee is more undulating and wild 

V* 

than we had of late traversed. Six miles from 


x 












306 FOUR years’ service in the east 


Rawul Pindee moved through a narrow gorge, 
where there was room for only one camel to pass 
at a time. At the bottom of the gorge is the 
river, which at this season is generally narrow and 
shallow; after crossing the river the road improved. 
Encamping ground satisfactory. Left Brigadier 
Stacey’s division at Rawul Pindee. 

26th. Maunicyaula, ten miles; country covered 
with large loose shingle, and much intersected with 
ravines. At about five miles from Hoormuck, near 
a small village, the road becomes better. Encamp¬ 
ing ground good and open: more cultivation in 
this neighbourhood than we had yet seen. About 
two miles from our encampment, passed the cele¬ 
brated Tope of Maunicyaula,* a large and singular- 

* The height from the top of the mound to the top of the 
building was about seventy feet, and the circumference was found 
to be one hundred and fifty paces. It was built of large pieces 
of a hard stone common in the neighbourhood (which appeared 
to be composed of petrified vegetable matter), mixed with smaller 
pieces of a sandy stone. The greater part of the outside was 
cased with the first-mentioned stone, cut quite smooth ; and the 
whole seemed intended to have been thus faced, though it had 
either been left incomplete, or the casing had fallen down. The 
plan of the whole could however be easily discovered. Some 
broad steps (now mostly ruined) led to the base of the pile: 
round the base is a moulding, on which are pilasters about four 
feet high and six feet asunder; these have plain capitals, and 
support a cornice marked with parallel lines and headings. The 
whole of this may be seven or eight feet high from the uppermost 
step to the top of the cornice. The building then retires, leaving 
a ledge of a foot or two broad, from which rises a perpendicular 
wall about six feet high : about a foot above the ledge is a fillet 
formed by stones projecting a very little from the wall; and at 




















WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


307 


looking dome, built of hard stone—supposed to be 
a Grecian structure, coeval with the time of Alex¬ 
ander the Great. Near camp were the extensive 
ruins of an ancient city. 

the top of the wall is a more projecting cornice, from which the 
sphere springs. The stones of the facing are about three feet and 
a half long, and one and a half broad, and are so put in that the 
ends only are exposed. The top is flat, and on it the foundations 
of walls are discoverable enclosing a space of eleven paces long by 
five broad : a third of this area is cut off by the foundation of a 
cross wall. There was nothing at all Hindoo in the appearance 
of this building : most of the party thought it decidedly Grecian. 
It was indeed as like Grecian architecture as any building which 
Europeans in remote parts of the country could now construct by 
the hands of unpractised native builders. 1 

The natives called it the Tope of Maunicyaula, and said it was 
built by the gods. 2 


1 Mr. Erskine, in a paper read to the Literary Society of Bom¬ 
bay in 1821, pronounced this building to belong to the worship 
of Boodh, an opinion which has since been fully substantiated. 
It was opened in 1830 by the Chevalier Ventura, a general officer 
in the service of Runjeet Sing, who found it contained, besides re¬ 
ligious relics, many ancient coins of great interest; and the zeal 
and liberality with which he promulgated his discoveries, quickly 
led to similar investigations in other quarters. By the active and 
persevering researches of Mr. Masson and Dr. Martin Honisberger, 
a great number of Topes resembling this one have been discovered 
in the tract extending between the river of Caubul and Hindoo 
Coosh, from the Hydaspes to Caubul. The oldest coin found in 
those buildings of which the date is known is one of the second 
Triumvirate in the first century before Christ, and the last is of 
Khoosroo Purbeez, in the sixth century after Christ. The 
construction of the Topes, therefore, was probably within those 
epochs. 

2 “ Tope is an expression used for a mound or barrow as far 
west as Peshawer, and Maunicyaula is the name of an adjoining 
village .”—■ Elphinstone s Afghanistan , Introduction, pp. 106, 107, 
108. 






308 FOUR years’ service in the east 

27th November. Serai Pucka, thirteen miles; 
road principally through the beds of nullahs, and 
tedious for guns and baggage. Encamping ground 
indifferent, close to the river Ragie, a small stream. 

28th. Shumuk, fifteen miles.—Road for the first 
two miles terribly bad, — similar to that through 
which we passed yesterday. After this it became 
more open until we crossed the river, when it again 
became broken. To-day’s was the most trying 
march for the cattle we have had since leaving 
the passes. 

29th. Bukrala, iline miles. Road easy, with the 
exception of a very steep descent at the commence¬ 
ment; where, owing to its being necessary to lock 
the gun-wheels, and only one camel being able to 
move down at a time, considerable delay was ex¬ 
perienced. At the bottom of the descent we en¬ 
tered the bed of a river, dry at this season, along 
which the road lay. The cattle were much fatigued 
by this day’s march. Encamping ground clear. 

On the 30th we reached Ooderana, nine miles. 
Road still along the bed of the river, but good and 
wide. Encamping ground open and extensive. 

1st December. Rhotas, nine miles. Road for 
about six miles through the bed of the river, when 
we emerged into a fine open plain. Excellent 
encamping ground on the right bank of a small 
branch of the Jheelum River, called Kussee. 

Rhotas has formerly been a place of great 
strength, but its defences are now nearly in ruins. 











WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


309 


The gateways, which, with the other parts of the 
walls, are constructed of solid masonry, are still 
very beautiful, as specimens of the architecture of 
the age in which they were built. The country 
in the neighbourhood of Rhotas is exceedingly 
fertile. 

2nd December. Jheelum, twelve miles. Road 
crosses the river Kussee several times, and at length 
continues along its bank until it joins the river 
Jheelum ;—country studded with villages and topes 
of trees, and very extensively cultivated. Employed 
this day and the next in crossing the river Jheelum 
(Hydaspes) in boats. There was a ford about a mile 
below our encampment, but, owing to the bed being 
composed of adhesive mud, it was exceedingly pre¬ 
carious ; and, although many camels got over it, 
numbers stuck and were eventually sacrificed. The 
stream at this season was very sluggish. 

On the 4th we marched to Khowar, twelve 
miles ; road generally light, crossed by a few ra¬ 
vines, but none of any importance. We passed a 
small fort, after which the country became jungly. 
Our encamping ground was confined and indiffer¬ 
ently good, with a small branch of the Jheelum in 
rear. 

On the 5th we reached Dhinga, fourteen miles 
and a quarter; road heavy and over a continuation 
of sand-hills, covered with low jungle. Our en¬ 
camping ground to-day was clear, and the country 
in the neighbourhood much cultivated. 









810 FOUR years’ service in the east 


On the 6th we marched twelve miles to Paree 
Walla. Road through a rich and well-cultivated 
country, occasionally varied by tracts of jungle. 

7th December. Ramnuggur, twelve miles. Ex¬ 
cellent road all the way to the river Clienab 
(Acesines), where we found numbers of boats await¬ 
ing us, in which we crossed. This river is not so 
broad as the Jheelum, but is much more rapid. The 
right bank is very precipitous and high, but ghats 
were cut in it to facilitate the operation of load¬ 
ing, &c. The cattle and horses crossed by a ford 
about a mile down the stream. Road from the left 
bank to the encamping ground was about three miles 
in length, and, being through deep sand, was very 
heavy. Here the cattle became very much ex¬ 
hausted. 

On the 8th we halted; Brigadier Stacey’s di¬ 
vision crossed the river. 

On the 9 th we continued our route to Nyemala, 
thirteen miles. We passed numerous villages, and 
the road was very easy, through a fine and well- 
cultivated country. 

On the 10th we marched to Thabool, eleven 
miles and a quarter; and on the 11th to Mutta, 
eleven miles; the road and encamping ground con¬ 
tinuing extremely favourable, and the country clear 
and well cultivated. Supplies of grain, forage, &c. 
were brought in great abundance. 

12th. Burra Mullear, thirteen miles. Road 
light; country open and highly productive. En- 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


311 


camping ground clear, and excellent grazing for 
the cattle in the jungle in neighbourhood of camp. 

13th. Halted. Several officers went out for the 
purpose of hog-hunting or shooting. There ap¬ 
peared to be but very little game in the country; 
and, owing to the density of the jungle, it was im¬ 
possible to get the wild-hog to break cover. Bri¬ 
gadier Stacey’s division closed up. 

On the 14th we resumed our march to Dheenga, 
fourteen miles,—a tedious journey; the country, 
although richly cultivated, not being diversified by 
many villages, or possessing any striking scenery. 
Brigadier Stacey’s division halted at Burra Mul- 
lear. 

We reached Surrukpoor on the 15th, thirteen 
miles ; the road principally over a fine level coun¬ 
try. Near camp was a very extensive grass jungle, 
in which numbers of hog were found; but it was 
impossible, with the limited number of beaters at 
our disposal, to drive them out of cover. To-day 
our encampment was fourteen miles from Lahore, 
but no one from our force was allowed to visit 
that capital. 

On the 16th we marched to Rungulpoor, ten 
miles; road excellent through a highly cultivated 
country, but encamping ground, on the left bank 
of the river Ravee (Hydraotes), very confined, 
and intersected with numerous ravines. Crossed 
the river by an excellent bridge of boats, con¬ 
structed of sufficient breadth to admit, if necessary, 




312 FOUR years’ service in the east 

the passage of two camels abreast; little delay was 
consequently experienced in getting the guns and 
baggage oxer. 

On the 17th we proceeded nine miles to Jun- 
gateh,—the road easy through a level brushwood- 
covered plain; and on the 18th we arrived at Lal- 
leaune, the march tedious through an uncultivated 
country covered with high jungle. —Our encamping 
ground was extensive and clear. There was a heavy 
fall of rain in the afternoon. 

On the 19th we reached Kussoor, after a toler¬ 
ably light march of ten miles and a half; and on 
the 20th we halted to enable Stacey’s division to 
close up. The whole Candahar division halted on 
the following day and night, throughout which it 
continued to rain heavily and with little inter- 
mission. 

It was on the 22nd of December that we reached 
Gunda Sing Walla. Owing to the heavy rain which 
fell during the night, the country was very slippery, 
and we were unable to march until one p.m. Passed 
the ruins of Kussoor, which cover a great extent 
of ground. From our encamping ground, which 
was close to the Suttlege (Hypasis), among strong 
reed grass, we could see the bridge of boats over 
which we were to pass in the morning, and which 
was ornamented with innumerable flags. On the 
left bank of the river, close to the bridge, was a 
large canopy, composed of cloth of the colour of 
the “ Riband of India,” and a vast field of white 


WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 313 

canvass pointed out the position of the “ Army of 
Reserve.” 

From the high reputation of the late ruler of 
the Punjaub, I was prepared to find in the country 
over which he reigned some nobler result of his 
military genius—some more lasting and more ho¬ 
nourable memorial of the benefits of his rule—than 
the mere establishment of military posts and con¬ 
struction of fortresses. No roads secured a com¬ 
munication between the different parts of the 
country through which we had marched ; and the 
lamentably small proportion of cultivated territory 
bore evidence that, even under him, there was an 
absence of that feeling of security ever symptomatic 
of a wise and good government. It is but just, 
however, to consider from what discordant mate¬ 
rials he had succeeded by his energy and ability 
in uniting and raising to consequence a number 
of divided and formerly powerless cliiefships, — 
and, by the force of his genius, assumed for the 
Punjaub among the nations of the East a posi¬ 
tion of the most formidable importance. But with 
him the glory of his rule has departed. Since the 
passage of “ the Army of Afghanistan” through 
that territory, its history has been one continued 
tale of misrule and blood : ruler after ruler has 
been removed by the hand of the assassin; every 
day some fresh proof is adduced that the “ master 
hand” is no longer there; and uninterrupted 
anarchy and confusion evidence the utter inability 











314 FOUR years’ service in the east 

and hopelessness of any party in that formerly 
flourishing state establishing a secure government. 

The history of British connection with India has 
been one of continued, gradual, but compulsory 
augmentation;—the very existence of our power 
has forced upon us the expediency of extending our 
territory. The hearty co-operation of the natives in 
our efforts to emancipate them from the thraldom 
of tyrannical oppression and misrule vindicates the 
justice of this aggrandisement. 

The security of our power in the East —secure 
only by our ever being impressed with and acting 
on the conviction of its insecurity —must, sooner or 
later, impose upon us the necessity of an inter¬ 
ference in the affairs of the Punjaub : the placing 
it under British control and influence, if not indeed 
the complete annexation of it to our existing 
mighty territory, is inevitable. 

Early on the morning of the 23rd, during parade, 
a fog rose from the river, which for its dense 
intensity could not have been surpassed even in 
London. At length the burning sun of the East 
dispersed the mist, and the Candahar division 
marched in triumph on to the British territory; 
the Governor-General, attended by his staff, the 
Commander-in-Chief, &c., received our illustrious 
chief, and a salute from a distant battery told that 
the last of the gallant Affghan army had now re¬ 
turned. 





WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


315 


CHAPTER XXL— Conclusion. 

Lord Ellenborougk’s Government.—Grand Review of the Forces 
at Ferozepore.—Breaking up of the Army. — Farewell Address 
of General Nott to the Gandahar Force. — Receive Orders to 
return to England with Colonel Hibbert, <fcc.—Departure.— 
Lieutenant Henry Seymour. 

The first great act in Lord EllenborouglTs ad¬ 
ministration was now at an end. By his prudence 
in placing a discretionary power in the hands of his 
generals, the honour and renown of the British 
arms had been retrieved in Afghanistan. “ I defy 
44 any man, if Nott had failed in his advance, to 
44 attribute any blame to Lord Ellenborough; and, 
“ if no blame could attach to him in failure, 
44 surely no merit should accrue to him from suc- 
44 cess.” Such is the specious argument formed for 
this event. But would such reasoning have been 
adopted or admitted had failure, instead of success, 
attended the operations of General Nott? 

Lord EllenborouglTs government in the East has 
now terminated, but the benefits arising from the 
wisdom which distinguished it will long be felt. On 
his arrival in India, disasters, defeats, and revolts 
met him on all sides; added to which, the public 
treasury was nearly exhausted. What an altered— 










316 FOUR years’ service in the east 


what an improved appearance have affairs since 
then assumed ! Our Eastern Empire, after two 
years of continued triumphs, has risen to, and now 
enjoys, a state of prosperity which it had not known 
for years. Such is the best proof of the sagacity 
of his Lordship’s administration ; and, if further evi¬ 
dences are wanting, they are to be found in the 
importance which has been attached to trifles—the 
elaborate criticisms which have been levelled at 
his proclamations (in which if there do exist ob¬ 
jections, they are merely in style, and in one it is but 
just to consider to whom it was addressed),—and in 
the undignified and puerile attacks that have been 
made upon him for the preference and regard which 
he showed for that profession by which India has 
been won, and by which India must be preserved. 
How paltry is that jealousy of the army, in the 
expression of which an ungenerous and unchival- 
rous sneer is implied on the profession of arms 
by a writer in an Indian Review, who sums up an 
article on Lord Ellenborough’s administration in 
these words :—“ To leave behind him no monu- 
“ ment of his greatness but a few captured cannon , 
“ a volume of proclamations, and an infinite quan - 
“ tity of parti-coloured ribbon , is but a jDoor achieve- 
“ ment after all; and, when years hence we inquire 
44 what great works are associated with the name of 
44 Ellenborougli, we may point to a fantastical gun - 
44 carriage , a new road to Government House, and 
44 an immense number of half-crown pieces pendant 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 317 

“from manly breasts in every ball-room in the coan- 
“ try /” 

We live in an age of faction; the time has not 
yet arrived when the acts of Lord Ellenborough’s 
administration can be viewed calmly and dispassion¬ 
ately : but when the veil is withdrawn, which is now 
thrown over them by the prejudice or bitter acri¬ 
mony of party, they will elicit that universal ad¬ 
miration which their wisdom and beneficial results 
so justly merit ; and Lord Ellenborougli, the re¬ 
generator of India , will be classed among those 
distinguished men whose names are inseparably as¬ 
sociated with the glory of our Eastern Empire. 

During our stay at Ferozepore, I was unable, 
from indisposition, to participate in the gaieties of 
the place; but I had the pleasure of witnessing the 
review of all the troops assembled here, amounting 
to nearly forty thousand men of all arms,—one of 
those glorious spectacles which man has but seldom 
an opportunity of beholding. 

The camps of the Affghan divisions were pitched 
apart from that of the army of reserve, and our old 
stained and tattered tents bore a striking contrast 
to the new white dwellings of our brethren. The 
service camps appeared, however, to be the subject 
of much interest, if not amusement, to the fair sex, 
who of an evening generally honoured us by riding 
through our lines, and passing their comments on 
the extreme shabby-gentility of our turn-out; our 
poverty of outward appearance not being confined 




318 FOUR years’ service in the east 

merely to tents and camp-equipage, but extending 
itself to our personal attire, from which the gloss of 
newness had long since departed, and which in 
many cases had an appearance singularly responsive 
to the description of Joseph’s coat of many co¬ 
lours. 

At length the order was issued for breaking up 
the immense army which had now assembled at Fe- 
rozepore, and the different regiments comprising it 
moved gradually off to the stations to which they 
had been ordered to proceed. 

Our more immediate comrades of the Candahar 
division were separated from us, and of that army 
the 40th Regiment alone remained at Ferozepore. 

Our chief had been rewarded for his services 
by a high appointment at the Court of the King 
of Oude; and on the 2nd of January, 1843, pre¬ 
vious to proceeding to assume its duties, he issued 
the following order to his companions in arms :— 

44 Major-General Nott, having received permission 
44 to join the appointment assigned him at the Court 
44 of the King of Oude, cannot leave the Candahar 
44 force without returning his best thanks to the 
44 officers and men composing it, for the assistance 
44 he has constantly received from them, which has 
44 enabled him upon all occasions to uphold the 
44 honour of our country and the reputation of Bri- 
44 tish arms. 

44 It is with feelings of deep regret and admira- 
44 tion that the Major-General now bids farewell to 




WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT, 319 

“ his brave and gallant comrades of the Candahar 
“ army.” 

My health was now in such an enfeebled state 
that I was recommended to return to England. 
At the same time orders were given to H. M. 41st 
to proceed down the Indus to Kurachee. In con¬ 
sequence of this the greatest difficulty was expe¬ 
rienced in obtaining boats, so many being taken 
up for the public service. My friend, Mr. Allen, 
having also been ordered down on duty to Scinde, 
kindly offered me a passage, and I prepared to 
accompany him. 

On the 9th, our Chaplain, Colonel Hibbert, Lieu¬ 
tenants Seymour and Carey, 40th, Mr. Andrew, 
78th, and myself, left Ferozepore ; the Colonel, 
Seymour, Carey, and self, being en route to England. 
Delightful as was the anticipation of revisiting our 
native land, it was not without unfeigned sorrow 
that I parted with those with whom ten of my best 
and happiest years had been passed. The remem¬ 
brance of the generous and universal expression 
of regret at our departure, and the cheers from 
our men as they accompanied us far out of camp, 
will never be forgotten. It was indeed one of those 
events which “fate allows but seldom here,” and 
which leave a lasting and indelible impression. 

On the morning of the 10th we sailed, and, 
after floating down the stream, reached Sukkur 
on the 30th without incident, save being stuck, 
not unfrequently, for hours together, on a mud- 



320 FOUR YEARS’ service in the east 

bank, and perhaps occasionally breaking a rudder 
or oar. The country on either side of the Indus 
is flat and uninteresting, covered with extensive 
forests of mangrove. At Sukkur we were most hos¬ 
pitably entertained by our old friends of the 20th 
and 21st Bombay regiments stationed there. 

The general impression then seemed to be that 
not a shot would be fired in Scinde. We did not, 
therefore, hesitate pursuing our journey down the 
river, and sailed for Tatta on the morning of the 
2nd; our party now consisting of Seymour and 
Carey, 40th, Knox, 42nd Bengal, and myself. 
On the 6th we reached Tatta the natives along the 
river treating us very civilly. During our passage 
down we observed numbers of Beloochees, armed 
to the teeth, crossing at different places ; with the 
exception of one party who hooted us as we passed, 
they were remarkably courteous. Poor Ennis of 
the Bombay 21st, who left Sukkur some days after 
us, en route to Bombay, in bad health, was not, 
however, so fortunate; he was attacked by a party 
of these Beloochees, and murdered. On approach¬ 
ing Tatta we looked in vain for the town ; at length, 
seeing some Europeans walking on the banks, we 
asked them where Tatta Bunda was, and they an¬ 
swered that we were now there. We pulled up, 
and getting on shore found that we should have 
to walk two miles at least to the conductor’s house, 
whom we wished to consult as to the probability of 
our being able to get boats for Bombay at Gorah 
Barree. 



WITH H. M. 40TH REGIMENT. 


321 


This house, when Seymour went up the river 
with our right wing at the end of 1840, was over¬ 
hanging the hanks of the Indus, which had since 
then so completely changed its course. 

The conductor having assured us that we should 
obtain boats at Gorali Barree, we sailed from Tatta 
Bunda on the 7th, and reached our destination on 
the 8th; there we found only one boat of fifty can- 
dees—about ten or twelve tons—and open. We 
determined on tempting the waves in this cockle¬ 
shell, and our own party of four, increased by Cap¬ 
tain Werge, 39th, and Mr. Webbe, one of the 
Affghan hostages, with all our servants, got in and 
sailed for Bombay on the 11th. We reached that 
port on the morning of the 17th, the day on which 
Sir C. Napier gained his first glorious victory in 
Scinde. We left Gorah Barree only just in time, 
for a day or two after an European conductor and 
small guard of Sepoys stationed there were attacked 
by a strong party of Beloochees, overwhelmed and 
sacrificed. 

Of the six officers composing the party from 
Gorah Barree to Bombay, only four now remain : 
poor Werge died of small-pox at Trieste on his 
way to England, and Seymour, one of my earliest 
and most valued friends, fell a victim to the liver 
complaint he had contracted in India—a few months 
after his return home, and shortly after he had 

obtained his promotion in a corps, which, alas ! he 

* 

was destined never to join. He and I were old 

Y 









322 FOUR YEARS’ SERVICE IN THE EAST. 

brother subs in the Grenadier Company, and during 
a long and arduous service in the East, the greatest 
intimacy and friendship had subsisted between us. 
Tall and handsome in form, amiable in disposition, 
w r arm in his friendships, and gallant and zealous 
in the discharge of his duties, his death was sin¬ 
cerely and deeply felt by his old comrades of the 
40th. It may be some consolation to his relations, 
however melancholy, to know of the still ardent 
sympathy for the loss they have sustained, of those 
who so long knew and esteemed Henry Seymour. 

If the perusal of the foregoing pages should 
afford pleasure to any one of my countrymen, I 
shall be more than repaid for the time I have 
expended in writing them. This is my first attempt 
at authorship—in all probability it will be my last; 
I ask the indulgence generally extended to the 
'premier essai , and in the hope, gentle reader, that 
you have censured lightly the many imperfections 
my narrative contains, I now say—farewell. 



APPENDIX. 





























APPENDIX. 


(A.) 

DECLARATION 

OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF 

INDIA, ON THE ASSEMBLY OF THE ARMY OF THE INDUS. 

Scinde, Oct. 1, 1838. 

The Right Honourable the Governor-general of India hav¬ 
ing, with the concurrence of the Supreme Council, directed the 
assemblage of a British force for service across the Indus, 
his Lordship deems it proper to publish the following expo¬ 
sition of the reasons which have led to this important mea¬ 
sure. 

It is a matter of notoriety, that the treaties entered into 
by the British Government, in the year 1832, with the 
Ameers of Scinde, the Nawab of Bahawulpore, and Maha 
Raja Runjeet Singh, had for their object, by opening the 
navigation of the Indus, to facilitate the extension of com¬ 
merce, and to gain for the British nation, in Central Asia, 
that legitimate influence which an interchange of benefits 
would naturally produce. With a view to invite the aid of 
the de facto rulers of AfFghanistan to the measures necessary 
for giving full effect to those treaties, Captain Burnes was 
deputed, towards the close of the year 1836, on a mission to 
Dhost Mahomed Khan, the chief of Cabool. The original 
objects of that officers mission were purely of a commercial 













326 


APPENDIX. 


nature. Whilst Captain Burnes, however, was on his journey 
to Cabool, information was received by the Governor-general 
that the troops of Dliost Mahomed Khan had made a sudden 
and unprovoked attack on those of our ancient ally, Maha 
Raja Runjeet Singh. It was naturally to be apprehended 
that his Highness the Maha Raja would not be slow to 
avenge this aggression; and it was to be feared that the 
flames of war being once kindled in the very regions into 
which we were endeavouring to extend our commerce, the 
peaceful and beneficial purposes of the British Government 
would be altogether frustrated. In order to avert a result so 
calamitous, the Governor-general resolved on authorizing 
Captain Burnes to intimate to Dhost Mahomed Khan that, 
if he should evince a disposition to come to just and rea¬ 
sonable terms with the Maha Raja, his Lordship would exert 
his good offices with his Highness for the restoration of an 
amicable understanding between the two powers. The Maha 
Raja, with the characteristic confidence which he has uni¬ 
formly placed in the faith and friendship of the British na¬ 
tion, at once assented to the proposition of the Governor- 
general, to the effect that, in the mean time, hostilities on 
his part should be suspended. 

It subsequently came to the knowledge of the Governor- 
general, that a Persian army was besieging Herat; that in¬ 
trigues were actively prosecuted throughout Affghanistan, for 
the purpose of extending Persian influence and authority to 
the banks of, and even beyond, the Indus; and that the 
Court of Persia had not only commenced a course of injury 
and insult to the officers of her Majesty's mission in the 
Persian territory, but had afforded evidence of being engaged 
in designs wholly at variance with the principles and objects 
of its alliance with Great Britain. After much time spent 
by Captain Burnes in fruitless negotiation at Cabool, it ap¬ 
peared that Dhost Mahomed Khan, chiefly in consequence 
of his reliance upon Persian encouragement and assistance, 
persisted, as respected his misunderstanding with the Sikhs, 
in urging the most unreasonable pretensions, such as the 



APPENDIX. 


327 


Governor-general could not, consistently with justice and his 
regard for the friendship of Maha Raja Runjeet Singh, be 
the channel of submitting to‘the consideration of his High¬ 
ness ; that he avowed schemes of aggrandisement and am¬ 
bition, injurious to the security and peace of the frontiers of 
India; and that he openly threatened, in furtherance of 
those schemes, to call in every foreign aid which he could 
command. Ultimately, he gave his undisguised support to 
the Persian designs in Affghanistan, of the unfriendly and 
injurious character of which, as concerned the British power 
in India, he was well apprized, and by his utter disregard of 
the views and interests of the British Government, compelled 
Captain Burnes to leave Cabool without having effected any 
of the objects of his mission. 

It was now evident that no further interference could be 
exercised by the British Government to bring about a good 
understanding between the Sikh ruler and Dhost Mahomed 
Khan, and the hostile policy of the latter chief showed too 
plainly that, so long as Cabool remained under his Govern¬ 
ment, we could never hope that the tranquillity of our neigh¬ 
bourhood would be secured, or that the interests of our 
Indian empire would be preserved inviolate. 

The Governor-general deems it in this place necessary to 
revert to the siege of Herat, and the conduct of the Persian 
nation. The siege of that city has now been carried on by 
the Persian army for many months. The attack upon it 
was a most unjustifiable and cruel aggression, perpetrated 
and continued, notwithstanding the solemn and repeated re¬ 
monstrances of the British envoy at the Court of Persia, and 
after every just and becoming offer of accommodation had 
been made and rejected. The besieged have behaved with 
gallantry and fortitude worthy of the justice of their cause, 
and the Governor-general would yet indulge the hope that 
their heroism may enable them to maintain a successful de¬ 
fence until succours shall reach them from British India. In 
the mean time, the ulterior designs of Persia, affecting the 
interests of the British Government, have been, by a sue- 








328 


APPENDIX. 


cession of events, more and more openly manifested. The 
Governor-general has recently ascertained by an official dis¬ 
patch from Mr. M c Neill, her Majesty's envoy, that his Ex¬ 
cellency has been compelled, by the refusal of his just de¬ 
mands, and by a systematic course of disrespect adopted 
towards him by the Persian Government, to quit the Court 
of the Shah, and to make a public declaration of the ces¬ 
sation of all intercourse between the two Governments. The 
necessity under which Great Britain is placed, of regarding 
the present advance of the Persian arms into Affghanistan as 
an act of hostility towards herself, has also been officially com¬ 
municated to the Shah, under the express order of her Ma¬ 
jesty's Government. The chiefs of Candahar (brothers of 
Dhost Mahomed Khan, of Cabool) have avowed their adher¬ 
ence to the Persian policy, with the same full knowledge of 
its opposition to the rights and interests of the British nation 
in India, and have been openly assisting in the operations 
against Herat In the crisis of affairs consequent upon the 
retirement of our envoy from Cabool, the Governor-general 
felt the importance of taking immediate measures for arresting 
the rapid progress of foreign intrigue and aggression towards 
our own territories. His attention was naturally drawn, at 
this conjuncture, to the position and claims of Shah Shooja- 
ool-Moolk, a monarch who, when in power, had cordially 
acceded to the measures of united resistance to external 
enmity, which were at that time judged necessary by the 
British Government, and who, on his empire being usurped 
by its present rulers, had found an honourable asylum in the 
British dominions. It had clearly been ascertained, from 
the information furnished by the various officers who have 
visited Affghanistan, that the Barukzye chiefs, from their 
disunion and unpopularity? were ill fitted, under any circum¬ 
stances, to be useful allies to the British Government, and to 
aid us in our just and necessary measures of national defence ; 
yet, so long as they refrained from proceedings injurious to 
our interest and security, the British Government acknow¬ 
ledged and respected their authority. But a different policy 














APPENDIX. 


329 


appeared to be now more than justified by the conduct of 
those chiefs, and to be indispensable to our own safety. 
The welfare of our possessions in the East requires that we 
should have on our western frontier an ally who is interested 
in resisting aggression, and establishing tranquillity, in the 
place of chiefs ranging themselves in subservience to a hostile 
power, and seeking to promote schemes of conquest and 
aggrandizement. 

After a serious and mature deliberation, the Governor- 
general was satisfied that pressing necessity, as well as every 
consideration of policy and justice, warranted us in espousing 
the cause of Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk, whose popularity 
throughout Affghanistan had been proved to his Lordship by 
the strong and unanimous testimony of the best authorities. 
Having arrived at this determination, the Governor-general 
was further of opinion, that it was just and proper, no less 
from the position of Maha Raja Runjeet Singh, than from 
his undeviating friendship towards the British Government, 
that his Highness should have the offer of becoming a party 
to the contemplated operations Mr. Macnaghten was ac¬ 
cordingly deputed, in June last, to the Court of his High¬ 
ness, and the result of his mission has been the conclusion 
of a tripartite treaty by the British Government, the Maha 
Raja, and Shah Sooja-ool-Moolk, whereby his Highness is 
guaranteed in his present possessions, and has bound himself 
to co-operate for the restoration of the Shah to the throne of 
his ancestors. The friends and enemies of any one of the 
contracting parties have been declared to be the friends and 
enemies of all. Various points have been adjusted, which 
had been the subject of discussion between the British Go¬ 
vernment and his Highness the Maha Raja, the identity of 
whose interests with those of the Honourable Company has 
now been made apparent to all the surrounding states. A 
guaranteed independence will, upon favourable conditions, be 
tendered to the Ameers of Scinde; and the integrity of 
Herat, in the possession of its present ruler, will be fully 
respected ; while by the measures completed, or in progress, 



330 


APPENDIX. 


it may reasonably be hoped that the general freedom and se¬ 
curity of commerce will be promoted ; that the name and 
just influence of the British Government will gain their pro¬ 
per footing among the nations of Central Asia; that tran¬ 
quillity will be established upon the most important frontier 
of India ; and that a lasting barrier will be raised against 
hostile intrigue and encroachment. 

His Majesty Shah Soojah-ool-Moolk will enter Afghan¬ 
istan, surrounded by his own troops, and will be supported 
against foreign interference and factious opposition by a 
British army. The Governor-general confidently hopes that 
the Shah will be speedily replaced on his throne by his own 
subjects and adherents, and when once he shall be secured in 
power, and the independence and integrity of Affghanistan 
established, the British army will be withdrawn. The Go¬ 
vernor-general has been led to these measures by the duty 
which is imposed upon him of providing for the security of 
the British Crown : but he rejoices that, in the discharge of 
this duty, he will be enabled to assist in restoring the union 
and prosperity of the Affghan people. Throughout the ap¬ 
proaching operations, British influence will be sedulously 
employed to further every measure of general benefit; to 
reconcile differences; to secure oblivion of injuries; and to 
put an end to the distractions by which, for so many years, 
the welfare and happiness of the Afghans have been im¬ 
paired. Even to the chiefs, whose hostile proceedings have 
given just cause of offence to the British Government, it 
will seek to secure liberal and honourable treatment, on their 
tendering early submission, and ceasing from opposition 
to that course of measures which may be judged the most 
suitable for the general advantage of their country. 

By order of the Right Honourable the Governor-general 
of India. 

W. H. Macnaghten, 

Secretary to the Government of India, with the 
Governor-general. 



APPENDIX. 


831 


(B.) 

DISPATCH 

RELATIVE TO FIGHT AT CANDAHAR. 

Head-Quarters, Candahar, May 29, 1842. 

Sir,—A kbar Khan, chief of Zamindawur, having assem¬ 
bled three thousand men, crossed the Helmund, and joined 
the rebel force under Prince Suftur Jung and Atta Mahomed, 
on the right bank of the IJrghundab, taking advantage of the 
absence of Brigadier Wymer, who had been detached into 
the Ghilzie province with a large portion of my force, and 
nearly the whole of my cavalry. The enemy, under an im¬ 
pression that we had not a sufficient number of men to hold 
the city, and at the same time to attack them in the field, 
took possession of some steep rocky hills within a mile of the 
city walls. I instantly moved out with the troops noted in 
the accompanying field return, leaving Major-general Eng¬ 
land, K.H., in command of the city. The Ghazees had 
about 8000 in position, and 2000 men guarding the Baba- 
wullee Pass and roads leading to their camp. Our troops 
carried all their positions in gallant style, and drove them in 
confusion, and with great loss, across the Urghundab river. 

I was ably assisted by Brigadier Stacey and every officer 
present. 

Major Rawlison, political agent, with his accustomed zeal, 
was in the field, and gallantly led a small body of Persians 
and Affghan horse to the charge. 

I am, &c., 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-general, 

Commanding Lower Afghanistan and Scinde. 




332 


APPENDIX. 


(C.) 

DISPATCH OF CAPTAIN CRAIGIE, &c. 

NOTIFICATION, SECRET DEPARTMENT, ALLAHABAD. 

July 2, 1842. 

The Governor-general lias great satisfaction in making 
public the following dispatch from Major-general Nott, and 
the report from Captain Craigie, Commanding the garrison 
of Khelat-i-Ghilzie, of the gallant and successful defence 
made by that garrison against a large force of Affghans by 
which it was assaulted. On this occasion the late Shah 
SoojalPs 3rd Regiment of Infantry, and the Detachment of 
the Bengal 43rd Regiment Native Infantry, displayed that 
decided superiority over their enemies, which has been 
uniformly manifested by the several corps composing Major- 
general NotPs Army. 

By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-general, 

T. H. Maddock, 

Secretary to the Government of India, with the 
Governor-general. 


From Major-general W. Nott, commanding Lower A Af¬ 
ghanistan and Scinde, to T. H. Maddock, Esq., Secre¬ 
tary to the Government of India, with the Governor- 
general, Head-Quarters. 

Sir, —I have the honour to acquaint you, for the informa¬ 
tion of the Right Honourable the Governor-general of India, 
that an attack was made on the Fort of Kelat-i-Ghilzie on 
the morning of the 21st instant, by a body of four thousand 






APPENDIX. 


833 


Ghilzies: the accompanying letter from Captain Craigie de¬ 
tails the result. I am, &c. 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-general, 

Commanding Lower Afghanistan and Scinde. 

Candahar, May 27, 1842. 


From Captain J. H. Craigie, commanding Kelat-i-Gilzie, 
to Captain Thomas Polwhele, Deputy Assistant Ad¬ 
jutant-general. 

Sir, — I have the honour to report, for the information of 
Major-general Nott, commanding in Lower Afghanistan 
and Scinde, that Kelat-i-Ghilzie was attacked at a quarter 
before four o’clock this morning, in two places, viz., at the 
long neck to the north-east, and at an outwork constructed 
last winter by the Sepoys, to give a raking fire in rear of the 
barracks. The enemy advanced to the assault in the most 
determined manner, each column consisting of upwards of two 
thousand men, provided with thirty scaling ladders; but, 
after an hour’s fighting, were repulsed and driven down the 
hill, losing five standards, (one of which was planted three 
times in one of the embrasures,) and the whole of which are 
now in our possession. 

Of the enemy’s loss I am unable to give any correct ac¬ 
count, as their killed and wounded, during the greater part 
of the attack, were immediately taken to the rear ; but one 
hundred and four (104) dead bodies were left on the slope 
of the hill, and from six a.m. till three p.m., the enemy 
were employed in carrying off such of their dead and 
wounded as had been taken to the rear. 

The greatest gallantry and coolness were displayed 
by every commissioned, non-commissioned officer and pri¬ 
vate (both European and Native) engaged in meeting the 
attack of the enemy, several of whom were bayonetted on 




334 


APPENDIX. 


the top of the sand-bags forming our parapets. On our side, 
I am happy to say, only six (6) Sepoys were wounded, viz., 
two of the detachment 43rd N.I., and four of the 3rd In¬ 
fantry. 

A body of about three hundred of the enemy, when 
driven back, took shelter under the rocks below the outwork, 
but were immediately dislodged by a company of the 3rd 
Infantry, which I detached for that purpose. 

I have, &c., 

(Signed) J. Halket Craigie, Captain, 

Commanding Kelat-i-Ghilzie. 

Kelat-i-Ghilzie, May 21, 1842. 

(True Copy.) 

(Signed) Thos. Polhwele, Captain, 

Officiating Deputy Assistant Adjutant-general. 

(True Copies.) 

T. H. Majddock, 

Secretary to the Government of India, with the 
Governor-general. 





APPENDIX. 


335 


(D.) 

DISPATCHES 

RELATIVE TO GOAIXE, ETC. 

From Major-general W. Nott, commanding Field Force, 
Afghanistan, to T. H. Maddock, Esq., Secretary to the 
Government of India, with the Governor-general. 

Head-Quarters, dated Camp Kareez Oosman Khan, 

August 29, 1842. 

Sir,—I have the honour to acquaint you, that on the 
morning of the 28 th instant a body of the enemy attacked 
our rear guard. I directed the officer in command of the 
cavalry to detach a party to assist in dispersing it. 

The accompanying letter from Captain Christie details the 
result. I have, &c. 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-general, 

Commanding Field Force, Afghanistan. 


From Captain J. Christie, commanding the Detachment, 
to Captain Delamaine, Senior Officer of Cavalry. 

Dated Camp Kareez Oosman Khan, August 23, 1842. 

Sir,— Agreeably to the instructions conveyed to me 
through Lieutenant Forbes, Adjutant 3rd Light Cavalry, I 
proceeded to the rear with two ressallahs of the 1st Bengal 
Irregular Cavalry and three ressallahs of my own regiment, 
and now do myself the honour to report the result as fol¬ 
lows, for the information of Major-general Nott. 

I proceeded at a trot for about a mile and a half, when 
w r e were closing well with the enemy ; all of a sudden we 
came on a ravine with steep sides, which for a time com- 










336 


APPENDIX. 


pletely brought us up ; however, we managed to file down 
and form again on the opposite side. This delay allowed 
the enemy to move a long way ahead ; but getting the 
detachment into a smart gallop, we succeeded in coming up 
with them just as the foremost of them had reached the 
bottom of the hills. We cut up about 50 of them ; Lieu¬ 
tenant Chamberlain’s party from the other flank destroyed 
12 more. The enemy, I should think, amounted to about 
300 horse and foot. Every man did his duty, so it is im¬ 
possible to offer any remark on individuals, and I shall only 
add that I was quite satisfied with the conduct of all. I 
beg to return lists of the killed and wounded. I have, &c. 

(Signed) J. Christie, Captain. 

(True copy.) 

(Signed) Thomas Polwhele, Captain, 

Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-general. 


From Major-General Nott, commanding Field Force, 
Affghanistan, to T. H. Maddock, Esq., Secretary to the 
Government of India, with the Governor-general. 

Head-Quarters, dated Camp, Goaine, 31 miles S. W. of Ghuznee, 

August 31, 1842. 

Sir,—I have the honour to acquaint you, for the infor¬ 
mation of the Right Honourable the Governor-general of 
India, that Shumshoodeen, the Affghan Governor of the 
fortress of Ghuznee, brought nearly the whole of his army, 
about twelve thousand men, into the vicinity of my camp 
yesterday, at 3 o’clock p. m. 

I moved out with one half of my force ; the enemy 
advanced in the most bold and gallant manner, each cheering 
as they came into position, their left being upon a hill of 
some elevation, their centre and right along a low ridge 
until their flank rested on a fort filled with men. They 




APPENDIX. 


337 


opened a fire of small arms, supported by two six-pounder 
horse-artillery guns, which were admirably served. Our 
columns advanced upon the different points with great regu¬ 
larity and steadiness, and after a short and spirited con¬ 
test completely defeated the enemy, capturing their guns, 
tents, ammunition, &c. &c., and dispersing them in every 
direction. One hour’s more day-light would have enabled 
me to destroy the whole of their infantry. 

Shumshooden fled in the direction of Ghuznee, accom¬ 
panied by about thirty horsemen. 

I enclose a list of killed and wounded on the 28th and 
30th instant, also a return of ordnance, ammunition, &c. &c., 
taken from the enemy. 

The behaviour of the troops, both European and Native, 
was such as I anticipated, and afforded me complete satis¬ 
faction. 

I beg leave to bring to the favourable notice of the 
Right Honourable the Governor-general of India the under¬ 
mentioned officers. Many of them have served under my 
command for the last three years, and have been conspicuous 
for their zeal and gallantry in the various affairs which have 
occurred with the enemy during that period, and especially 
in the action of the 12th of January last, and have invariably 
upheld the reputation of our arms and the honour of our 
country. 

Brigadier Wymer, commanding the 1st Infantry Brigade; 
Lieutenant-colonel McLaren, commanding 16th Regiment 
Native Infantry; Major Kibbert, commanding Her Majesty’s 
40th Regiment ; Captain Burney, commanding 38th Regi¬ 
ment Native Infantry; Captains Christie and Haldane, 
commanding corps of Bengal Irregular Cavalry; Major 
Sotheby, commanding the Artillery; Captain Blood, com¬ 
manding Bombay Foot Artillery; Major Sanders, Bengal 
Engineers; Lieutenants North and Studdert, Bombay En¬ 
gineers. Majors Leech and Rawlinson, of the Political 
Department, attended me in the field, and rendered me great 
assistance in conveying my orders 


z 
















338 


APPENDIX. 


My best thanks are due to my staff, Captain Polwhele, 
Deputy-assistant Adjutant-general, Captain Waterfield, Aide- 
de-camp, Lieutenant Tytler, Deputy Quarter-master-general. 

Annexed is a letter from Brigadier Wymer, speaking in 
the highest terms of his Brigade-major, Captain T. H. Scott, 
of the 38th Regiment Native Infantry. I fully appreciate 
this excellent officer’s merits ; he has been with me in four 
actions. I trust I shall not be thought presumptuous in 
expressing a hope that he will receive some mark of the 
favour of Government, by brevet or otherwise. 

I cannot close this despatch without expressing my ad¬ 
miration of the dashing and gallant conduct, rapid movement, 
and correct practice of Captain Anderson’s troop of Bengal 
Horse Artillery ; nothing could exceed it, and I beg leave 
to bring this officer and Lieutenant Turner, attached to the 
same troop, to the particular notice of his Lordship, as 
officers who have on many occasions rendered me most 
essential service. I have, &c. 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-general, 

Commanding Field Force, Afghanistan. 


From Brigadier G. P. Wymer, commanding 1st Infantry 
Brigade, to Major-General Nott, commanding Field 
F orce. 

Dated Camp Chuppotkhana, September 1, 1842. 
Sir, —Adverting to the division orders of yesterday, ex¬ 
pressive of your praise and thanks to the troops employed 
under your command in action with the enemy on the afternoon 
of the 30th instant, I hope you will not consider it ill-judged 
on my part bringing to your favourable notice the valuable 
assistance I derived from the active services of Captain Scott, 
Major of Brigade to the 1st Infantry Brigade under my 
command, whose exertions during the fight on that day 
demand and merit my best praise and acknowledgments. 
This being the second time of the display of Captain Scott’s 



APPENDIX. 


339 


abilities when in action with the enemy as my personal staff, 
will, I hope, plead my apology for recommending him to 
your notice, and the favourable consideration of Government, 
in any way you may have it in your power to mention him 
as a meritorious and deserving officer. I have, &c. 

(Signed) G. P. Wymer, Brigadier, 

Commanding 1st Infantry Brigade. 


Return of Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Field 
Force, under the command of Major-General William 
Nott, in the Engagements with the Enemy on the 28th 
and 30th of August, 1843. 


2nd Troop Bengal Irregular Horse Artillery.—1 groom 
and 1 horse wounded. 

3rd Company 1st Batt. Bombay Artillery. — 1 bearer 
hilled, 1 gunner, 1 bugler, 1 private, 1 driver, and 2 horses 
wounded. 

3rd Regt. Bombay Light Cavalry.—1 captain, 1 lieu¬ 
tenant, 1 native officer (jemadar), 4 havildars, 1 farrier, 10 
troopers, and 6 horses killed; 2 lieutenants, 1 jemadar, 1 
trumpeter, 5 troopers, and 4 horses wounded. 

1st Regt. Bengal Irregular Cavalry.—1 duffadar (havil- 
dar), and 11 troopers killed; 1 jemadar, 2 duffadars, 12 
troopers, and 16 horses wounded ; 9 horses missing. 

Christie’s Horse.—2 duffadars, 5 troopers, and 19 horses 
killed ; 1 lieutenant, 1 jemadar, 13 troopers, and 17 horses 
wounded ; 4 horses missing. 

H. M.’s 40th Regt. of Foot.—I lieutenant, 2 corporals, 
and 10 privates wounded. 

H. M.’s 41st Regt. of Foot.-—1 corporal, 3 privates, 1 
tent lascar, and 1 bheestie wounded. 

16th Regt. Bengal N. I.—2 privates wounded. 








340 


APPENDIX. 


42nd Regt. Bengal N.I.—1 private wounded. 

Total Killed .—1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 1 jemadar, 7 
havildars, 1 farrier, 26 troopers, 1 bearer, and 25 horses. 

Total Wounded .—4 lieutenants, 3 jemadars, 2 havildars, 
3 corporals, 1 gunner, 2 trumpeters, 47 privates, 1 tent 
lascar, 1 bheestie, 1 groom, 1 driver, and 40 horses. 

Missing .—13 horses. 

Grand Total of Killed and Wounded.—10 4< officers and 
men, and 65 horses; and 13 horses missing. 

Officers Killed .—Captain H. Bury, 3rd Regt. Bombay 
Light Cavalry ; Brevet Captain G. O. Reeves, 3rd Regt. 
Bombay Light Cavalry. 

Officers Wounded .—Brevet Captain G. S. Ravenscroft, 
3rd Regt. Bombay Light Cavalry; Lieutenant T. A. Mac¬ 
kenzie, 3rd Regt. Bombay Light Cavalry; Lieutenant 
Meason, H. M.’s 40th Regt. of Foot; Lieutenant N. B. 
Chamberlain, Christie’s Horse. 

(Signed) Thomas Polwhele, 

Captain Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-general- 

(Signed) W. Nott, 

Major-General, commanding Field Force. 


Return of Ordnance, Ammunition, &c. captured in action 
with the Enemy by the Field Force under the command 
of Major-general Nott, on the 30th August, 1842. 

Camp Gonine, August 31, 1842. 

Carriages, field, with limbers, 2. One carriage, broken 
by our shot, left on the field. 

Cartridges, balled, musquet (as originally packed in the 
H. C.’s magazines), 4000. Destroyed on the enemy’s en¬ 
camping ground. 









APPENDIX. 341 

Cartridges, filled, 6 prs., 132. Destroyed on the enemy's 
encamping ground. 

Harness, sets, 4. Unserviceable. 

Horses, 4. 

Ordnance, 6 pr. brass, 2. 

Shot, common case, 6 pr., 9. Unserviceable. 

Shot, round (hammered), 6 prs., 24. Unserviceable. 

Exd. (Signed) F. S. Sotheby, Major, 

Commanding Artillery. 

(Signed) T. Brougham, 

Lieutenant-Adjutant, Artillery Division. 

(True copy.) 

(Signed) T. Polwhele, Captain, 

Deputy-assistant Adjutant-general. 


Copy of a Letter from Major-general Nott, to Major- 

general Pollock, C.B., commanding in Affghanistan. 

Camp Nanee, September 3, 1842. 

Mr dear General, —I have been favoured with your 
letter of the 23rd ult. We were engaged with the enemy 
on the 27th, near Mukoor. On the 30th, Shumshoodeen, 
Governor of Ghuznee, came into the vicinity of our camp 
with his whole army. I moved out with about one-tliird of 
my force; the enemy came on boldly enough, but we soon 
entirely defeated them, taking the two field guns they 
brought with them from Ghuznee, and the whole of their 
ammunition, tents, &c. &c. 

Our Sepoys behaved with much steadiness and gallantry. 

Your's sincerely, 

(Signed) W. Nott. 

Killed .—Captain Bury, 3rd Bombay Cavalry ; Captain 
G. Reeves, 3rd Bombay Cavalry. 






342 


APPENDIX. 


Wounded .—Captain Ravenscroft, 3rd Bombay Cavalry, 
severely; Lieutenant Mackenzie, 3rd Bombay Cavalry, 
severely ; Ensign Chamberlain, 1st Bengal Irregular Cavalry, 
slightly; Lieutenant Meason, Her Majesty’s 40th, severely. 

(True copy.) 

(Signed) H. Rawlinson. 

(True copy.) 

(Signed) R. C. Shakespear, 

Military Secretary. 

(True copies.) 

(Signed) T. H. Maddock, 

Secretary to the Government of India, with the 
Governor-general. 


(E.) 

DISPATCH 

• RELATIVE TO CAPTURE OF GHUZNEE. 

From Major-general W. Nott, commanding Field Force, 
Affghanistan, to T. H. Maddock, Esq., Secretary to 
the Government of India, with the Governor-general. 

Head-Quarters, dated Camp Ghuznee, 
September 8, 1842. 

Sir, —My dispatch of the 31 st ultimo will have informed 
you of my having defeated the Affghan army commanded by 
Shumshoodeen. 

On the morning of the 5th instant I moved on Ghuznee. 
I found the city full of men, and a range of mountains run- 








APPENDIX. 


343 


ning north-east of the fortress covered by heavy bodies of 
cavalry and infantry ; the gardens and ravines near the town 
were also occupied. The enemy had received a considerable 
reinforcement from Cabool, under Sultan Jan. 

I directed Major Sanders, of the Bengal Engineers, to 
reconnoitre the works, under escort of the 16th Regiment of 
Native Infantry, and a party of irregular cavalry. This 
brought on some smart skirmishing, in which our Sepoys be¬ 
haved to admiration. Captain White, of H. M.’s 40th * 
Regiment, commanding the light companies of the army, was 
pushed forward, accompanied by Anderson’s troop of Horse 
Artillery, to support the reconnoitering party, and I at once 
determined on carrying the enemy’s mountain positions be¬ 
fore encamping my force. The troops ascended the heights 
in gallant style, driving the enemy before them until every 
point was gained. 

The village of Bullal is situated about six hundred yards 
from the walls of Ghuznee, upon the spur of the mountain to 
the north-east, and observing it to be a desirable spot for pre¬ 
paring a heavy battery to be placed three hundred paces in 
advance, I ordered it to be occupied by two regiments of in¬ 
fantry and some light guns, and retired the columns into 
camp. 

The engineer officers, sappers and miners, and infantry 
working parties, were employed under the direction of Major 
Sanders, during the night of the 5th, in erecting a battery for 
four eighteen-pounders; these guns were moved from camp 
before daylight on the morning of the 6th, but before they 
had reached the position assigned them, it w r as ascertained 
that the enemy had evacuated the fortress. 

I directed the city of Ghuznee, with its citadel and the 
whole of its works, to be destroyed. I forward the en¬ 
gineer’s report. 

In these operations our loss has been much less than 
might have been expected from the number and positions of 
the enemy, and the fact of the troops having been necessi¬ 
tated to move under range of the guns of the fortress. 









344 


APPENDIX. 


I enclose a list of killed and wounded. 

The exertions of Major Sanders, of the Engineers, were 
as usual most zealous, and my thanks are due to him and 
the department under his charge. 

I beg to notice the following officers : Brigadier Wymer ; 
Major Hibbert, commanding Her Majesty’s 40th Regiment; 
Captain Evans, in temporary charge of the 16th Regiment 
Native Infantry ; Captain White, Her Majesty’s 40th Re¬ 
giment, commanding the light companies of the force ; Major 
Sotheby, and officers of the Artillery. 

I have every reason to be satisfied with my Staff, Captain 
Polwliele, Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General ; Captain 
Waterfield, Aide-de-Camp ; Captain Ripley, and Lieutenant 
Kay, Deputy-Judge Advocate-General. 

I continue to receive the greatest assistance from Major 
Leech. I have, &c., 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-General, 

Commanding Field Force, Afghanistan. 

P. S.—I have recovered about three hundred and twenty- 
seven of the Sepoys of the 27th Regiment Bengal Native 
Infantry, who had been sold into slavery and dispersed in 
villages thirty and forty miles round Ghuznee. 

(Signed) W. Nott. 


Camp Rozeh, near Ghuznee, September 9, 1842. 

MEMORANDUM. 

On the morning of the 5th September 1842, General 
Nott moved his camp to take up a position before Ghuznee. 
An advanced party was ordered to protect a reconnoissance 
of the works undertaken by the engineer department. On 
the approach of this party to the hills north of the city, it 
was opposed in force, but was immediately supported by the 
General, and thus reinforced, cleared the hills of the enemy, 








APPENDIX. 345 

and took possession of the village of Bullal, within four hun¬ 
dred yards of the city. 

The General immediately directed this important point, 
with the heights near the village, to be maintained, and they 
were occupied by two regiments of native infantry and two 
nine-pounder guns. 

Whilst these operations were going on, the camp was esta¬ 
blished at Rozeh, two and a half miles from the city. The 
guards required for the protection and general duties of the 
camp absorbed so many men, that but few were available for 
the duties of a siege. The General, therefore, determined 
not to invest the place in form, and directed the Engineer 
to concentrate the resources at his disposal in one spot, where 
protection might be most conveniently afforded to the siege 
operations. 

With advertence to these instructions, the Engineer pro¬ 
posed to establish a battery on the ridge of the hill north of 
the town, in advance of the village of Bullal, and distant 
about three hundred and fifty yards from the nearest point of 
the walls. From this battery it was expected that the four 
eighteen pounders would lay open the thin flank wall con¬ 
necting the citadel on the west with the town wall in a few 
hours. The defences of the citadel could be swept from the 
same point by the light artillery, and the lines of loop-holed 
wall which would bear on the advance of the storming party 
were all viewed in enfilade from the site selected for the 
battery. The advance of the party to the assault would 
have been greatly facilitated by the existence of a thick dam 
of earth across the ditch, immediately opposite the point 
marked out for the breach. 

It was further proposed that the principal assault should 
be supported by two other attacks ; one, an attempt to blow 
in the water gate, (both the others having been strongly 
built up, and the causeways in front of them cut through,) 
another, to escalade a weak point near the Cabool gate, 
which would have been greatly aided by the fire of the 
artillery from the hill. 






346 


APPENDIX. 


This project met the General’s approval, and at dusk on 
the evening of the 5th September, a working party com¬ 
posed of the sappers, and of 160 men from the regiments 
occupying the hill, commenced work on the battery. By 
four a.m., on the 6th September, cover for the party had 
been secured across the ridge of the hill, and so much pro¬ 
gress made in the execution of the work as to lead to reason¬ 
able expectations that the four eighteen-pounder guns, and 
two twenty-four-pounder howitzers would be established in 
position, and ready to open their fire during the day. 

Early on the evening of the 5th, a brisk matchlock fire was 
kept up from the citadel on the hill, but this gradually 
slackened, and at ten p.m. had entirely ceased. The enemy’s 
infantry had been observed at dusk crossing the river near 
the water gate, with the intention, it w r as supposed, of 
attacking the working party during the night ; but towards 
the morning of the 6th, there were grounds for believing the 
fort was evacuated. At daylight this was ascertained to be 
the case by Lieutenant North, of the Engineers, who took 
possession at that hour of the water gate without opposition, 
leaving Ensign Newton and twenty-five Sepoys of the 16th 
Native Infantry in charge of the gateway, and returning to 
the battery for further assistance. The whole of the work- 
ing party was immediately moved into the town, of which, 
and of the citatel of Ghuznee, they were in possession before 
sunrise. 

(Signed) Edward Sanders, Major, Engineers. 


From Major E. Sanders, Engineers, to Major-general W. 
Nott, commanding Field Force, Ghuznee. 

Dated Camp Rozeh, near Ghuznee, 
September 9, 1842. 

Sir, —On the occupation of the fortress of Ghuznee by the 
troops under your command, I received orders from you to 
take measures for the destruction of the citadel, to as great 





APPENDIX. 


347 


an extent as tlie means at command, and the time afforded 
by a halt of two days, would permit. 

2. I have now the honour to report, that the engineer de¬ 
partment attached to your force has been employed during 
the 7th and 8th instant on the work of demolition, and to 
state the progress effected. 

3. Fourteen mines have been sprung in the walls of the 
citadel, all with good effect. The Upper Fort has been 
completely destroyed ; the second line of works extensively 
breached in two places; and the outer and lower walls have 
their revetments blown down and greatly injured in three 
places. 

4. In several spots remote from the mines, the walls, 
though they have not fallen, are so seriously shaken by the 
explosions, that unless immediate and energetic measures are 
adopted, on the departure of your force, for their repair and 
security, they must crumble down during the ensuing winter. 

5. The gateways of the town and citadel, and the roofs of 
the principal buildings, have been fired and are still burning. 

I have, &c. 

(Signed) E. Sanders, Major, Engineers. 


Return of the Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Field 
Force under the command of Major-general William 
Nott, in the Engagement with the Enemy before Ghuz- 
nee, on the 5th September, 1842. 

2nd Troop Bengal Irregular Horse Artillery.—1 horse 
killed ; 1 private, 1 sycee, 5 horses, wounded. 

1st Troop Bombay Horse Artillery.—1 Sycee wounded. 
3rd Regt. Bombay Light Cavalry.—1 horse killed ; 1 
horse wounded. 

1st Regt. Bengal Irregular Cavalry.—1 private, 1 horse, 
1 jemadar, killed ; 5 privates, 7 horses, wounded. 







348 


APPENDIX. 


H. M. 40th Regt. of Foot.—1 private killed; 3 privates 
wounded. 

H. M. 41st Regt. of Foot.—-3 privates wounded. 

2nd Regt. Bengal N.I.—4 privates wounded. 

16tli Regt. Bengal N.I.—1 private, killed ; 1 ensign, 1 
havildar, 4 naiques, 11 privates, wounded. 

27th Regt. Bengal N.I., doing duty with the 16th N.I. 
—1 private wounded. 

42nd Regt. Bengal N.I.—2 privates wounded. 

43rd Regt. Bengal N.I.—4 privates wounded. 

Total of Each .—3 privates, 3 horses, 1 jemadar, killed; 
1 ensign, 1 havilidar, 4 naiques, 34 privates, 2 syces, 13 
horses, wounded. 

Grand Total af Killed and Wounded .—46 officers and 
men, and 16 horses. 

Ensign Stannus, 16tli Regt. Bengal N.I., wounded. 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-General, 

Commanding Field Force, 

(Exd.) T. Polwhele, Capt. 

Deputy-assistant Adjutant-general. 


Return of Ordnance Ammunition captured in the Fortress 
of Ghuznee by the Force under command of Major-gene¬ 
ral Nott, on the 6th of September, 1842. 

Camp Ghuznee, September 6, 1842. 
Bags, cartridge, dungaree, 40 ; blue-lights, 300 ; boxes, 
ammunition, musquet, (filled) 15 ; boxes, ammunition, gun, 
(filled,) 25 ; boxes, ammunition, gun, empty, 15 ; boxes, 
treasure, empty, with straps, 20 ; cartridges, balled, mus¬ 
quet, 25,000, 15,000 of these are unserviceable; cartridges, 
balled, gun and jingal, about 2000; carriages, field-pieces, 
6 ; carriages, garrison, 1; charcoal, maunds, 6 ; hides, buff, 
5 ; jingals or wall-pieces, 7 ; lanterns, tin, 9, unserviceable ; 






APPENDIX. 


349 


lead, pigs, 8; musquetry, musquets, without locks, 30; 
ordnance, brass, light field-pieces, mounted, 3, — 3, 6, 
and 8-pounder ; ordnance, brass, heavy, mounted, 1 68- 
pounder ; ordnance, iron, light field-pieces, mounted, 3,— 
ditto, dismounted, 1, 2, 6, and 8-pounders ; powder, ord¬ 
nance, country, (jars,) 10, about 1501bs. each ; rope, cotton, 
(pieces,) 1 ; saltpetre, (bags,) 1 ; shot, round, English, (6 
pr.) 60 ; ditto, of sorts, 550 ; ditto, jinjal, and 1 2-pr. 300 ; 
sponges, gun, of sorts, 12 ; jezails, 5. 

(Exd.) T. Brougham, Lt. 

Adjutant, Artillery Division. 

(Signed) F. S. Sotheby, 

Major commanding Artillery. 

(True Copy.) 

(Signed) Thomas Polwhele, Captain, 

Deputy-assistant Adjutant-general, 


(F.) 

DISPATCH 

RELATIVE TO BENI BADAM. 

From Major-general W. Nott, commanding Field Force, 
to Major-general Pollock, C.B., commanding West of 
the Indus. 

Camp Urgundee, September 16, 1842. 
Sir, — I have the honour to acquaint you that Shurn- 
slioodeen, Sultan Jan, and other AfFghan chiefs, having as¬ 
sembled about 12,000 men, occupied a succession of strong 
mountains intercepting my march upon Benee Badam and 
Mydan, on the 14th and 15th instant. Our troops dis- 










350 


APPENDIX. 


lodged them in gallant style, and their conduct afforded me 
the greatest satisfaction. 

The artillery distinguished themselves, and I beg to men¬ 
tion the names of Captains Leslie, Bombay Horse Artillery, 
Captain Blood, Bombay Foot Artillery, and Anderson and 
Turner, of the Bengal Horse Artillery, and the 38th and 43rd 
Bengal Native Infantry. I beg to bring under the favourable 
notice of Government, Captain White, of her Majesty’s 
40th Regiment, in command of the light companies of her 
Majesty’s 40th and 41st Regiments, and of the 2nd, 16th, 
38th, 42nd, and 43rd Bengal Native Regiments, for the 
able manner in which he carried my orders into effect, and 
for the gallantry displayed by him and the companies under 
his command, in ascending the mountains and driving the 
enemy from their positions. I have every reason to be 
pleased with the conduct of all the troops, European and 
Native. I forward a list of hilled and wounded—I am, &c. 

(Signed) W. Nott, 

Major-general, commanding Field Force. 


Return of Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Field 
Force, under the command of Major-general William 
Nott, in the Engagements with the Enemy on the 14th 
and 15th September, 1842. 

Killed .—1 private 3rd Regiment Bombay Light Cavalry, 

2 privates H. M 40th Regiment, 1 private H. M. 41st 
Regiment. 

Wounded .—1 lieutenant and 3 privates, H. M. 40th Re¬ 
giment; 2 lascars, 2nd battalion Bengal Foot Artillery; 

3 privates, 1st battalion Bombay Foot Artillery; 1 cor¬ 

poral and 4 privates, 1st Regiment Bengal Irregular Horse ; 
1 private, Christie’s Horse; 1 corporal and 1 private, H. M. 
41st Foot ; 1 lieutenant and 1 private, 2nd B. N. I.; 

1 serjeant and 1 private, 16th B. N. I.; 1 serjeant and 



APPENDIX. 


351 


11 privates, 38tli B. N. I.; 1 seijeant and 2 privates, 42nd 
B. N. I.; 1 lieutenant, 1 subadar, 1 serjeant, and 15 pri¬ 
vates, 43rd B. N. I. ; 5 privates, 3rd Irregular Infantry; 
and 24 horses. 

Officers wounded. — Lieutenant E. Eager, H. M. 40th 
regiment, severely ; Lieutenant Mainwaring, 2nd Regiment, 
slightly; Lieutenant G. Holroyd, 43rd, ditto, ditto. 


(G.) 

PROCLAMATION BY LORD ELLENBOROUGH. 

SECRET DEPARTMENT. 

Simla, October 1, 1842. 

The Government of India directed its army to pass the 
Indus in order to expel from Affghanistan a chief believed 
to be hostile to British interests, and to replace upon his 
throne a Sovereign represented to be friendly to those in¬ 
terests, and popular with his former subjects. 

The Chief believed to be hostile became a prisoner, and 
the Sovereign represented to be popular was replaced upon 
his throne; but after events which brought into question his 
fidelity to the Government by which he was restored, he lost 
by the hands of an assassin the throne he had only held 
amidst insurrections, and his death was preceded and follow¬ 
ed by still existing anarchy. 

Disasters unparalleled in their extent, unless by the errors 
in which they originated, and by the treachery by which 
they were completed, have, in one short campaign, been 
avenged upon every scene of past misfortune ; and repeated 
victories in the field, and the capture of the cities and 
citadels of Ghuznee and Cabool, have again attached the 
opinion of invincibility to the British arms. 







352 


APPENDIX. 


The British army in possession of Affghanistan will now 
be withdrawn to the Sutlej. 

The Governor-general will leave it to the Affghans them¬ 
selves to create a Government amidst the anarchy which is 
the consequence of their crimes. 

To force a Sovereign upon a reluctant people would be as 
inconsistent with the policy as it is with the principles of the 
British Government, tending to place the arms and resources 
of that people at the disposal of the first invader, and to 
impose the burthen of supporting a Sovereign without the 
prospect of benefit from his alliance. 

The Governor-general will willingly recognise any Go¬ 
vernment approved by the Affghans themselves, which shall 
appear desirous and capable of maintaining friendly relations 
with neighbouring states. 

Content with the limits nature appears to have assigned to 
its empire, the Government of India will devote all its efforts 
to the establishment and maintenance of general peace, to 
the protection of the Sovereigns and chiefs its allies, and to 
the prosperity and happiness of its own faithful subjects. 

The rivers of the Punjaub and Indus, and the mountain¬ 
ous passes and the barbarous tribes of Affghanistan, will be 
placed between the British army and an enemy approaching 
from the West, if indeed such enemy there can be, and no 
longer between the army and its supplies. 

The enormous expenditure required for the support of a 
large force in a false military position, at a distance from its 
own frontier and its resources, will no longer arrest every 
measure for the improvement of the country and of the 
people. 

The combined army of England and of India, superior in 
equipment, in discipline, in valour, and in the officers by 
whom it is commanded, to any force which can be opposed 
to it in Asia, will stand in unassailable strength upon its own 
soil, and for ever, under the blessing of Providence, preserve 
the glorious empire it has won in security and in honour. 

The Governor-general cannot fear the misconstruction 




APPENDIX. 


353 


of his motives in thus frankly announcing to surrounding 
states the pacific and conservative policy of his Government. 

Affghanistan and China have seen at once the forces at his 
disposal, and the effect with which they can be applied. 

Sincerely attached to peace for the sake of the benefits it 
confers upon the people, the Governor-general is resolved 
that peace shall be observed, and will put forth the whole 
power of the British Government to coerce the state by 
which it shall be infringed. 

By order of the Right Honourable the Governor-general 
of India. 

(Signed) T. H. Maddock, 

Secretary to the Government of India, with the 
Governor-general. 


(H.) 

GENERAL ORDER 

RELATIVE TO REWARDS, MEDALS, ETC., GRANTED TO TROOPS 

IN AFFGHANISTAN. 

General Orders by the Right Honourable the Governor- 

general of India. 

Simla, October 4, 1842. 

The Governor-general, earnestly desirous of evincing the 
gratitude of the Government of India towards the general 
officers, officers, and non-commissioned officers and privates, 
engaged in the operations of the present campaign in Aff- 
ghanistan, is pleased, after communicating with his Excel¬ 
lency the Commander-in-Chief, to declare the following 
resolutions:— 

1. All the general officers, officers, non-commissioned 

A A 







354 


APPENDIX. 


officers and privates, serving under the command of Major- 
general Pollock, of Major-general Nott, and of Major- 
general England, between Attock and Ali Musjid, and in 
and above the Khyber Pass, and in and above the Bolan 
Pass, on the 8th of September, shall receive a donation of 
six months' 1 batta, payable on the 1st of January, 1843. 

2. In perpetual commemoration of their distinguished 
services, the 2nd and 16th regiments of Bengal Native In¬ 
fantry shall be hereafter regiments of Grenadiers, and the 
38th, 42nd and 43rd regiments of Bengal Native Infantry 
shall be hereafter regiments of Light Infantry. 

3. The regiment of Bengal Irregular Infantry, lately known 
as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry, in the service of Shah 
Shoojah, shall, in consideration of the valour, discipline, 
and fortitude manifested by that regiment on many occasions, 
and especially in the defence of Kelat-i-Ghilzie, continue 
embodied under its present commandant, Captain J. H. 
Craigie, and be brought on the strength of the Bengal army 
as an extra regiment, and be denominated the 66 Regiment 
of Kelat-i-Ghilzie.” The future establishment of the Regi¬ 
ment of Kelat-i-Ghilzie, and other details consequent upon 
this resolution, will be made known in a separate Order. 

4. Major-general Nott will communicate to the Governor- 
general the designations of every corps engaged in the seve¬ 
ral actions with the enemy in the vicinity of Candahar, 
between the 1st of January and the 10th of August, 1842, 
specifying the particular actions in which such corps were 
engaged; and the Major-general will state which of such 
corps are, in his judgment, entitled to bear hereafter the 
word 4c Candahar ” upon their standards or colours and ap¬ 
pointments, in commemoration of their services. 

To such corps of the Indian army as the Major-general 
may name, the honour of so bearing the word 44 Candahar ” 
will be immediately accorded by the Governor-general. 

5. The several corps of the Indian army which on the 
6th of September occupied Ghuznee, and the several corps 
which on the 16th of September and the following days oc- 




APPENDIX. 


355 


cupied Cabool, will hereafter bear upon their standards or 
colours and appointments the word 44 Ghuznee ” and 44 Ca¬ 
bool ” respectively, with the figures “ 1842 ” underwritten. 

The several corps under Major-general Nott which reached 
Cabool subsequently to the 16th of September, will be 
equally entitled with the troops previously occupying that 
city to the honour of bearing the word 44 Cabool 11 with the 
figures 44 1 842 ,1 underwritten, upon their standards or co¬ 
lours and appointments. 

6. Major-general Pollock will communicate to the Go¬ 
vernor-general the designations of the corps under his com¬ 
mand, which were engaged in the operations preceding the 
occupation of Cabool, but did not advance to that city, and 
will name such of these corps as he may deem entitled to 
bear the word 44 Cabool,” with the figures 44 1 842 ” under¬ 
written, upon their standards or colours and appointments, as 
having contributed to the capture of that city by their pre¬ 
vious service in this campaign ; and to such corps, being on 
the Indian Army, as the Major-general may so name, the 
honour of so bearing the word 44 Cabool ,1 will be immedi¬ 
ately accorded by the Governor-general. 

7. To every general officer, officer, non-commissioned 
officer and private, present on the occasions abov^mentioned 
in action with the enemy in the vicinity of Candahar, will be 
presented a silver medal inscribed 44 Candahar, 1842: ,, and 
to every general officer, officer, non-commissioned officer 
and private, present with the army under Major-general 
Nott in the operations leading to the capture of Ghuznee 
and the occupation of Cabool, will be presented a similar 
silver medal inscribed 44 Ghuznee, Cabool, 1842. 11 Where 
the same person shall be entitled to both distinctions, one 
medal only will be presented, and such medal will be in¬ 
scribed, 44 Candahar, Ghuznee, 1842.” Major-general Nott 
will transmit to the Governor-general nominal lists of the 
several general officers, officers, non-commissioned officers 
and privates, so entitled, respectively. 

8. Major* general Pollock will transmit to the Governor- 






356 


APPENDIX. 


general a nominal list of the general officers, officers, non¬ 
commissioned officers and privates, present in action with 
the enemy, in the several operations of his army leading to 
the occupation of Cabool, and to every person named in such 
list, a silver medal will be presented, inscribed 44 Cabool, 
1842.” On the reverse of these several medals will be in¬ 
scribed the words 44 Victoria Vindex.” 

9. To every officer, non-commissioned officer and private, 
present within Kelat-i-Ghilzie, and forming part of the gar¬ 
rison thereof, during the late investment and blockade of 
that fort, will be presented a silver medal bearing a mural 
crown, with the superscription of 44 Kelat-i-Ghilzie,” and 
on the reverse the word 44 Invicta, 1842.” Captain J. H. 
Craigie, late Commandant of the fort of Kelat-i-Ghilzie, 
will transmit to Major-general Nott a nominal list of the 
officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, so present in 
Kelat-i-Ghilzie, and so entitled to the medal above granted, 
and to every person named in such list, when sanctioned 
by Major-general Nott, the medal will be given. 

10. All the medals abovementioned are to be worn sus¬ 
pended to a ribbon similar to that which will be given with 
the Jellalabad medal, which will be henceforth the military 
ribbon of India. 

11. The regimental colours of the regiment of Khelat-i- 
Ghilzie will be composed of three colours of the military 
ribbon of India, and in the centre thereof will be inscribed 
the word Khelat-i-Ghilzie.” 

12. The Governor-general will, after communication with, 
and in conjunction with his Excellency the Commander-in- 
Chief, represent to the authorities in England the high 
services rendered by the officers of her Majesty*^ and of the 
Indian army in the operations of the present campaign in 
Afghanistan, in order that they may be duly submitted to 
the gracious consideration of her Majesty. 

13. Medals similar to those presented to the general 
officers, officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of 
the Indian army, will be prepared for the general officers, 



APPENDIX. 


357 


officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of her 
Majesty’s army having respectively similar claims to the 
honour of wearing such medals; but the authority to wear 
such medals depends upon her Majesty’s most gracious 
pleasure. 


The regiment of Kelat-i-Ghilzie will be completed to 
800 privates by drafts from the other corps of the late Shah 
Shoojah’s service, as detailed below ; the European com¬ 
missioned officers and staff sergeants, now serving with it, 
will continue to hold their present appointments, and the 
native-commissioned and non-commissioned officers their 
present rank. 

1 Subedar. The detail of the late 6th regiment noted 
1 Jemedar. in the margin, which formed part of the 

4 Havildars. Jellalabad garrison, will be incorporated with 
6 Naicks. the extra regiment, and the 1st and 2nd and 

38 Sepoys. 5tli regiments of the late Shah’s infantry 

will each furnish the necessary number of 
Sepoys for Captain Craigie’s corps. 

In consequence of this measure it will be necessary to 
modify the scale of distribution of the infantry portion of 
the late Shah’s force, as notified in the Governor-general’s 
Order of the 16th of June last: and to admit of this being 
effected, the officers now in command of the 1st, 2nd, and 
5th regiments of the late Shah’s force will immediately on 
the receipt of the order, forward to the Adjutant-general of 
the Army, a present state of their respective corps; and his 
Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, is requested to give 
the necessary orders for drafting the remaining native com¬ 
missioned, non-commissioned officers, drummers, and sepoys, 
into native infantry corps of the line, according to the prin¬ 
ciple laid down in the Governor-general’s Order above quoted. 

The following is to be considered the establishment of the 
extra regiment of native infantry. 

A Commandant, a Second in Command, an Adjutant, 







358 


APPENDIX. 


a Quarter - Master, a Serjeant-Major, a Quarter - Master 
Serjeant, 8 Subadars, 8 Jemadars, 40 Havildars, 40 Naicks, 
16 Drummers, 800 Sepoys. 

(Signed) J. Stuart, Lieut. Colonel, 

Secretary to the Government of India, Military Department, 

with the Governor-general. 


(I.) 


DISPATCH 


RELATIVE TO HUFT KOTUL AND TEZEEN PASSES. 

From Major-General W. Nott, commanding Division* of 
the Army, to Captain G. Ponsonby, Assistant Adjutant- 
general. 

Camp, Giant’s Tomb, October 15. 

Sir,—I beg to report for the information of Major- 
general Pollock, C. B., that the rear-guarcl of the force 
under mv command was yesterday attacked by large bodies 
of the enemy in the Huft Kotul Pass. I sent 200 Sepoys 
and a wing of Her Majesty’s 40th Regiment, and two com¬ 
panies of Her Majesty’s 41st, under command of Major 
Hibbert, to the assistance of Captain Leeson of the 42nd 
Regiment Native Infantry, who had charge of the rear. 
Our Sepoys defeated and dispersed the enemy. Captain 
Leeson speaks in high terms of the gallantry of the officers 
and Sepoys under his command. 

Major Hibbert and the wing of Her Majesty’s 40th Regi¬ 
ment, and the two companies of Her Majesty’s 41st, under 
Captain Blackbourne, behaved with their accustomed gal¬ 
lantry. My thanks are due to all the troops engaged. I 
enclose a list of killed and wounded. I have, &c. 



APPENDIX. 


359 


Return of Killed and Wounded during the Attacks of the 

Rear-guard of Major-general Nott’s Force, on the 

Evening of the 15th and Morning of the 16th of October. 

* 

Total of each Killed. —12 men and 3 horses. 

Wounded. — 2 lieutenants, 1 assistant-surgeon, 4 havildars, 
5 naicks, 36 gunners, troopers, &c. ; 1 horse-keeper, 10 
horses. 

Grand total of Killed and Wounded. —61 officers and 
men, and 13 horses. 

Officers Wounded. —Lieutenant and Brevet-Captain W. 
Jervis, 42nd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry; Lieu¬ 
tenant N. W. Chamberlain, Christie's Horse; and Assistant- 
Surgeon J. H. Serrell, 42nd Regiment of Bengal Native 
Infantry. 

N. B.—One havildar, one naick, and one sepoy of the 
27th Native Infantry, doing duty with the 42nd Native In¬ 
fantry, are included in the above. 


(K.) 

RETURN OF CANDAHAR DIVISION TO INDIA. 

Camp Ferozepore, December 23,1842. 

This day Major-general Nott passed the Sutleje at the 
head of his whole force. 

The Major-general was received at the foot of the bridge 
by the Governor-general and his Excellency the Commander- 
in-chief, attended by their respective staffs and escorts. 

The Governor-general was accompanied by Jye Singh Rao 







360 


APPENDIX. 


Ghatkee, by the Rajah of Jheend, and other chiefs of 
Sirhind. 

The troops and followers of the Rajah of Jheend, and of 
the other chiefs, were formed in two lines beyond the escorts 
of the Governor-general and the Commander-in-chief. 

The gates of the Temple of Somnauth passed the bridge 
under the escort directed to be formed by the Governor- 
generars order, the escort of infantry being composed of 
volunteers from the 2nd Regiment of Grenadiers. 

The following are the officers selected by Major-general 
Nott to accompany the escort :— 

Major Leech, political agent ; Captain R. N. M 4 Lean 
and Lieutenant J. Travers, £nd Native Infantry ; Assistant- 
Surgeon M. A. B. Gerard ; and the same are appointed ac¬ 
cordingly. 

The Governor-general delivered to the senior Jemadar of 
the escort of the infantry a flag of the three colours of the 
military riband of India, having inscribed thereon 44 Ghuz- 
nee,” in English, Persian, and Hindee ; and informed Cap¬ 
tain M'Lean, commandant of the escort, that on their return 
to their regiment the flag was to be retained by the Snd 
Grenadiers as a third colour, in commemoration of their 
distinguished services. 

Major-general Nott, appointed Resident at the court of 
Lucknow, will bear the title of Envoy to the King of Oude, 
and that of 44 Excellency’’ in all communications with his 
Majesty. 


APPENDIX 


361 


(L.) 

ALLEGED EXCESSES OF THE BRITISH ARMY IX AFFGHAXISTAX. 


Copy of a Letter from General Nott to Major-General J. 

B. Lumley, Adjutant-General of the Army. 

Lucknow, April 4. 

Sir, 

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your 
letter, No. 817, of the 29th ult., calling upon me, by direc¬ 
tions of the Right Hon. the Governor-general of India, to 
report on certain excesses said to have been committed by 
the British troops on retiring from Afghanistan. I will con¬ 
fine my remarks to that veteran, gallant, and highly disci¬ 
plined army which I had the honour to command for so long 
a period; and I will leave it to my gallant comrade, Sir G. 
Pollock, G.C.B., to defend the honour of the troops he 
commanded. 

1st. I am called upon to state upon what private property, 
and upon what private buildings, injury was inflicted by my 
orders, or under my toleration, at Ghuznee. I answer, upon 
none. 

2nd. I am desired to state 44 whether unresisting indivi¬ 
duals were destroyed in cold blood, for mere vengeance; 
and whether women were either violated or murdered for their 
ornaments ?” I will endeavour to suppress my scorn and 
indignation while I shortly reply to this charge on suspicion, 
or whatever it may be called, by the persons from whom it 
emanated. And this is the return made by the people of 
England, or rather, I would believe, by a few individuals, to 
the gallant Candahar army,-—that army which was for so long 
a time neglected, but which, nevertheless, nobly upheld 

B B 


our 




362 


APPENDIX. 


national honour, and, during a period of four years, acted 
with the greatest forbearance and humanity to the people of 
Afghanistan ! 

Colonel Palmer, at the head of a brave garrison, surren¬ 
dered Ghuznee to various tribes of Afghans. The city was 
occupied by these people for months; it was vacated by the 
enemy on the arrival of the army under my command. On 
its being entered by the British troops, it was found that 
not a single person was in the city. Neither man, nor 
woman, nor child. There was no property, and I do not 
believe there was a house left completely standing in the 
town ; the whole had been unroofed and destroyed by the 
contending Afghans, for the sake of the timber, &c. 

I have said there were no inhabitants in Ghuznee, and 
therefore 44 unresisting individuals could not have been de- 
destroyed in cold blood ; women could not have been mur¬ 
dered and violated for their ornaments.” These, I boldly 
say, are gross and villanous falsehoods, whomsoever they 
emanate from. 

I ordered the fortifications and citadel of Ghuznee to be 
destroyed. It had been the scene of treachery, mutilation, 
torture, starvation, and cruel murder, to our unresisting and 
imprisoned countrymen. Look at the contrast,—see the 
conduct of the noble British soldier; and are calumny and 
gross falsehood to rob him of the honour ? They shall not, 
while I have life to defend his fame. 

The extensive town or village of Rosa is situated about 
two miles from Ghuznee, and is lovely to behold. When 
this city was taken by the force nnder my command, Rosa 
was full of inhabitants, men, women, and children; my 
troops were encamped close to its walls; its gardens and its 
houses were full of property ; its barns and farm-yards were 
well stored ; its orchards were loaded with fruit; its vine¬ 
yards bent beneath a rich and ripe vintage ; the property 
taken from our murdered soldiers at the Ghuznee garrison 
was seen piled in its dwellings. Were not these tempting 
objects to the soldier who had undergone four years of 


APPENDIX. 


363 


fatigue and privation ? Some of these soldiers had seen, and 
all had heard of the treacherous murder of their relations and 
comrades by these very people ; but why should I enlarge ? 
Four days the victorious Candahar army remained in camp 
close to this village, with all these temptations before it and 
at its mercy; but not a particle of anything was taken from 
the Affghan, the fruit brought for sale was paid for at a rate 
far above its value ; no man, no living thing was injured. 
Much more I could say, but so much for the noble British 
soldier, for Ghuznee, and for the beautiful, rich, and tempt¬ 
ing town of Rosa. 

I did not command at Cabul. I did not interfere in its 
concerns. I never was in its bazaars. My division was en¬ 
camped at a distance, with the exception of one regiment, 
against which corps I never received a complaint. My 
division was not in Cabul after Sir George Pollock’s troops 
left, General Pollock’s army and my troops marched the 
same day. No man under my command was ever detected 
plundering without being immediately punished. 

Nor am I to have patience to reply to 66 Whether 
Affghans were permitted to be wantonly treated or mur¬ 
dered ? ” Is this a proper question to put to a British 
general officer who has ever had the honour of his country 
uppermost in his mind, and deeply impressed on his heart ? 
u Permitted/’ indeed ! is it supposed that I am void of reli¬ 
gion ; that I am ignorant of what is due to that God whom 
I have worshipped from my childhood ? Am I thus to have 
my feelings outraged because a few people in India and in 
England have set forth villanous falsehoods to the world ? 
I have confined my reply for the present as much as possible 
to the questions in your letter. I would only farther say, 
that never did an army march through a country with less 
marauding and less violence than that which I commanded 
in AfFghanistan. In Lower Afghanistan, or the Candahar 
districts, I put down rebellion,—quelled all resistance to the 
British power in spite of the fears and weakness of my su¬ 
periors. By mild persuasive measures, I induced the whole 












364 


APPENDIX. 


population to return to the cultivation of their land and to 
live in peace ; I left them as friends and on friendly terms. 
On my leaving Candahar, no man was injured or molested,— 
no man was deprived of his property,—and my soldiers 
and the citizens were seen embracing. It is on record that I 
informed the Indian Government that I could hold the 
country for any time; it is on record that I informed Lord 
Auckland, as far back as December 1841, that I would with 
permission re-occupy Cabul with the force under my com¬ 
mand ;—there was nothing to prevent it but the unac¬ 
countable panic which prevailed at the seat of Government ; 
and now I am rewarded by a certain set of people in Eng¬ 
land, taxing me with that which would be disgraceful to me 
as a religious man, as an honourable gentleman, and a British 
officer. I am, Sir, 

Your obedient Servant, 

(Signed) W. Nott, Major-general. 

To Major-general J. B. Lumley, Adjutant- 
general of the Army. 


THE END. 


LONDON: 

Printed by S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley, 
Bangor House, Shoe Lane. 










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